Essential Circuitry
by Death-God-777
Summary: Three years before Camp Rock, Shane is a wild kid, dragging an oblivious Jason and an unwilling Nate into his world. But with music as their fallback, chaos becomes order, and friendships are formed. How Connect 3...Connected
1. Cabin Fever

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Shane and Brown

**Words:** 1, 002

**Author's Notes:** So, I've had this idea for awhile. Finally got around to getting it down today. This will be my own interpretation of how "Connect Three…connected". For the sake of my story, I am ignoring Camp Rock 2 in respect to Connect Three being brothers. In this, they are completely and utterly unrelated.

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"Hey Uncle Brown!"

Brown Cesario looked up from the paperwork he was sorting through to smile at his nephew. Shane had just recently turned fifteen, absolutely thrilled because that meant that he would now be allowed to go to Camp Rock. While the camp didn't have an age limit per se, all campers were fifteen or over by some unspoken rule. As it was, Shane had gone the year before, but only as Brown's assistant, and not as a camper. This year would be the first year he would actually be attending.

"What brings you to my cabin Shane?" Brown asked, raising an eyebrow.

"I just came to give you these," Shane announced grandly, chucking a couple of sheets of paper on his uncle's desk.

Brown leant forward and gathered them together, recognising them as Camp Rock enrolment forms. "You know these were supposed to be handed in two weeks ago, at the latest?" he challenged.

Shane shrugged, throwing himself into the chair on the opposite side of the desk to Brown's. "You knew I was coming."

The Englishman decided to ignore the comment and instead pulled a thick folder out of his top drawer. "Here," he said, depositing it in front of his nephew with a _thump_. "You can go through the list of attending campers and sort them into cabins. Four to a cabin if you wouldn't mind."

Shane huffed but took the folder, flipping it open, face splitting into a cheeky grin when he saw that his name was right at the top of list – something that indicated that he had been the first person enrolled.

"Guess you knew I was coming after all," he crowed, looking extremely pleased with himself. The look vanished the moment Brown dumped another folder in front of him.

"Just for that," Brown remarked, "You can sort the girls' cabins too."

With grudging compliance, Shane set about doing his task, he and his uncle working alongside in silence for the better part of an hour, Brown finalising things for camp. Shane decided to get the girls done first, since that was what he was looking forward to the least. Once that was done and he was able to work on the boys cabins, Shane really started paying attention, flicking his hair out of his eyes as he studied the names.

Mathematically speaking, while there _should_ have been four people per cabin, the number of people attending this year meant that there would be one cabin of three. Shane nominated this as his cabin. Perusing the names and studying them critically, he argued back and forth as to who his two cabin mates should be. The minor detail that he knew _none_ of the people listed was purely that; minor.

Jason Matthews.

Shane's brow furrowed when he reached that name, something about it ringing nicely in his head. Grabbing a different folder, Shane pulled out Jason's enrolment form. While probably illegal, he wanted to know everything he could about his potential cabin mate before securing him a guaranteed in. He grinned at what he found.

Jason, like him, was fifteen and this would be his first year at Camp Rock. Reading on, Shane saw that Jason – or Jason's parents – had put 'guitar – electric' as his preferred instrument. That gave them something in common, as Shane also played guitar. Continuing to read and finding nothing that displeased him, Shane proudly wrote Jason's name under his own in 'Cabin Coda' – a cabin Shane had personally picked out as it was conveniently closest to both the lake and hot showers.

Nodding to himself, Shane then resumed searching through the list of campers again, hoping to find his second and final cabin mate. Seeing none of the names jump out at him, he sighed, figuring he'd have to go with someone random. As he went to reluctantly make a decision, his eyes fell upon the enrolment date of the final camper, Nathaniel Anderson. His uncle had said the cut-off was two weeks ago, and yet this boy had enrolled just nine days earlier.

Re-grabbing the folder he'd had earlier, Shane fanned them through his fingers until he reached Nathaniel. Extracting the file and studying it, his eyebrows rose. This kid was just thirteen, a good two years younger than any of the other campers. Someone, clearly his mother if the handwriting was anything to go off, had written that his preferred instrument_s_ were guitar, drums and piano, along with the fact that Nathaniel was a good singer. Talk about your musically talented kid.

"Hey Uncle Brown," Shane asked, capturing the man's attention. "What's the deal with this kid?"

Brown's face scrunched up in confusion until he saw the enrolment date. "Oh yeah, late entry. His mother said he really wanted to come but had only just heard about us. What could I do Shane? He sounded so keen."

"Well, if he's keen…"

Brown looked at him quizzically but Shane didn't bother elaborating, instead adding Nathaniel's name under his and Jason's, making three.

Rather haphazardly, Shane scribbled names into the other cabins, choosing people with wild abandon and nowhere near the same amount of effort as he had to his own cabin. Assigning the last name with a dramatic flourish, Shane bunched all the papers together and placed them in front of his uncle. Brown gestured for him to wait as he went to stand, indicating with his eyes for Shane to remain sitting.

"You do know I said four to a cabin, don't you?" Brown questioned a few moments later. "Somehow you've managed to put three people in your cabin. How is three anything like four?"

"It's one number off!" Shane protested, folding his arms. "And besides, there isn't an even number of campers anyway. You were always going to end up with _one_ cabin of three." He shrugged. "I just made that cabin mine."

"Jason Matthews and Nathaniel Anderson," Brown read, eyes flicking up to meet Shane's. "Why them? Out of everyone, why them?"

"I don't know," Shane confessed with a wild grin, "But they felt like a good idea."

Little did Shane know that he would start questioning those feelings.

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_A/N: Ha ha ha, I left the first chapter on a cliffhanger. -.-' That was purely unintentional, I assure you. I actually feel bad that this is as short as it is. Anyway, hope to have another chapter up as soon as it is written. Til then!_

_DG777_

_P.S. The name of their cabin is a musical term, with 'coda' meaning: "_a more or less independent passage, at the end of a musical composition, introduced to bring it to a satisfactory close_". Fitting, isn't it? ;)_


	2. Across the Divide

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Jason and Nate

**Words:** 1, 571

**Author's Notes:** Thanks to everyone who went out of their way to comment on the last chapter! It was really great to see all your feedback. Hope you like this chapter. :)

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_***Five Weeks Earlier_

"Jason!"

Fifteen-year-old Jason Matthews looked up in time to see his baby brother Rhys come flying over, barrelling into him and nearly causing him to lose his balance. Jason chuckled as he fell back onto the grass, pulling the four-year-old onto his chest with him, the little boy laughing rumbustiously.

"What'cha doin'? What'cha doin'?" Rhys asked through his smiles.

"Nothing," Jason answered, sighing happily as he stared up at the sky. "Just watching the birds."

"You're always watching the birds," Rhys pouted, rolling off of him and going to stare at the sky as well. "Why? Clouds are way funner!"

Now it was Jason's turn to pout. "They are not. Birds are the best!"

"Please tell me we're not going on about birds again," complained another voice.

Jason tilted his head back to find himself staring at his older sister, Emma, who was staring down at him with an exasperated expression. "And so what if I am?" he demanded somewhat defensively.

"Never mind," Emma said, rolling her eyes. "It's just…" she paused to lean over and scoop Rhys up. "I get that birds are your thing or whatever, but don't you think it's getting a little old?"

"Don't you think you're a little too old for Elmo pajamas?" Jason challenged.

"No," she scoffed. "Elmo pajamas are actually cool if teenage girls wear them."

"Yeah, well," he mumbled, getting to his feet. "Birds are cool too."

With that, he left his sister to her own devices, leaving her to play with Rhys and keep him entertained. Climbing up the three steps that led to the back veranda, Jason paused by his cockatiel's cage, sparing the bird a few words before sending one last disappointed look out at the backyard where Emma was now happily pushing Rhys on their tire swing. He supposed that when you were one of six kids, with two parents making a family of eight, birthdays were pretty easy to forget if you kept quiet about them.

Sighing to himself, Jason ignored his other siblings watching baseball in the front room and jogged up the stairs to his shared room. Finding it to be void of life, Jason flopped onto his bed in relief, glad for the chance to be alone. Whatever contentment he thought he'd find though was short-lived though as someone presently decided to knock on his door.

"Come in!" he called, not even caring who it was.

"Hey Jason," his mother said quietly as she entered, shutting the door behind her to give them some privacy.

"Hey Mom," he replied, offering her a heartfelt grin; or at least, the best one he could manage.

"Oh baby," she sighed, sitting down next to him and leaning over to kiss his forehead, carding a hand through his hair. "Turn that frown upside-down."

"I'm trying," he promised, though he couldn't stop his eyes from dropping dejectedly.

"Jason," his mother said seriously, causing him to look up. "Is this because you think I forgot your birthday?"

Jason started, eyes widening. "You remembered?"

"Of course I did," she said seriously. "How could I ever forget? I love you Jason, and I'd have hoped that you knew that. You're such a good boy," she murmured, toying with his hair again. "You never ask for things, you never fight for attention, and you're always there whenever someone's upset. I think you're very special, so much more special than you think."

Jason blushed, dipping his head shyly. "Thanks Mom," he whispered.

"So," his mother continued. "Your father and I thought we'd get you something special for your birthday this year. We really hope you'll like it."

Jason frowned when his mother passed him a simple red envelope – the kind made of the thick paper that prevented you from seeing what the card said from the outside. More confused than anything, he tore it open, mouth dropping open when he realised what he was seeing.

"Mom, you-…you and Dad…Thank you!" he finally settled on, flinging his arms around his mother, holding her tightly. "This is the best birthday gift ever."

Because there, held securely in his fist, was a confirmed enrolment to Camp Rock.

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_***Nine Days Earlier_

There was near silence as Nate made his way down the hall back towards his room. He'd just overheard his mother – eavesdropping was a habit he'd picked up over the years, something Courtney would be ashamed of if she ever found out – saying that she would not be attending her work's conference. He knew how important this conference was, and he knew that, if his mother presented her piece well, she was almost guaranteed a promotion. He also knew why it was she was saying no.

Him.

While Courtney would never admit that that was why, Nate knew it was true. He knew his mother wasn't comfortable leaving him alone for two weeks while she went to London and he knew she didn't want to bother with the expenses of hiring a nanny for a fortnight, not that he needed one. Being a single mom was never easy and Nate respected everything his own mother did for him, even when she could be doing so much more.

Which was why he was doing what he was doing.

Upon arriving back to his room, Nate grabbed his laptop and fired it up, opening his web browser the moment it was loaded. If his mom was saying no because of him, he needed to remove himself from the situation. If he wasn't in the equation, Courtney had no reason to decline, which in turn meant she would get the promotion she had always wanted. So, some form of summer camp seemed like the best option to get him out of the house for an extended period of time.

Shifting himself onto his stomach, Nate did a quick Google search, eyes scanning the top results. Frowning at the third one down, Nate clicked on it, taking in the information and processing it. He hated camps, and the last thing he wanted in the whole world right now was to spend weeks and weeks somewhere unknown but he had to sound excited to his mother, which meant that he had to pick something that sounded like it would appeal to him. This 'Camp Rock' seemed an appropriate choice. Printing off a flyer from his wireless printer, Nate grabbed the paper and headed down to his mom's office.

"Mom?" he called, rapping his knuckles against the door as he pushed it open.

"Hi sweetie," Courtney said, beckoning him in. "Is something wrong?"

"…No," he murmured, putting on a nervous air to aid his performance. "I was just wondering if I could ask you something."

"Of course you can," she assured him, gesturing for Nate to come to her side. "What is it? What have you got there?"

Nate handed over the Camp Rock brochure. "It's a music summer camp. All my friends at school were talking about and it sounded really fun," he lied. "Do you…do you think I could go…maybe?"

Courtney looked surprised. "If you wanted to go, why didn't you say so earlier?"

He shrugged. "It's kind of expensive…?"

She gave him a look. "That's no concern of ours and you know it. Of course you can go, if you want to."

He nodded determinedly. "I really do! You know I'm good at music and it'll be really fun to spend a whole summer with kids who like it just as much as I do."

"Well if you're sure," his mother replied, flipped the brochure over to read the back. "Uh oh," she said, looking up and meeting his gaze slightly sadly. "Registration ended last Friday."

'_Damn!'_

"But…but you can call!" Nate suggested desperately. "You can call, can't you? Maybe they still have an available place? Please Mom?"

"Alright, alright," she laughed gently, picking up her phone and dialling. "This is a perfect example of why you tell me earlier and not at last minute, understand mister?"

Nate nodded quickly, leaning forward as someone obviously answered on the other end, his mother launching into a rapid-fire explanation of her situation. Yes, she knew the cut-off date was earlier and she would willingly pay more as punishment, something that seemed to be knocked back.

"He wants to know if you're keen," Courtney said, eyes flicking to his.

"I am!" Nate replied instantly, adding an excitement to his voice that he didn't feel. "I really want to go, I swear!"

"Well, there's your answer," Courtney said into the phone with a laugh, going silent again as the other person seemed to resume talking. A few minutes later, coupled with multiple thanks, she returned the phone to its cradle. "Well," she said, meeting his eyes and smiling warmly, "The answer's 'yes'."

"Yes!" Nate exclaimed, his mother leaning over to gently kiss his hair – which, from Courtney, was as much physical affection as she would ever give. "Thanks Mom!"

All but bursting from the room, Nate ran down to his room with feigned energy before reaching his door. There, his face fell, knowing he had just resigned himself to several weeks of torture. Silently, he back-tracked and stealthily paused outside his mother's office again.

"Mark?" his mother was saying. "Yes, can you call Mister Hughes? Tell him I will be able to attend the conference after all."

Having heard enough, Nate backed away. Well, at least one of them was happy.

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_A/N: so there you have it, your first look at Jason and Nate. Next chapter should be them meeting Shane, so hopefully I'll be able to come up with something. Leave a comment on your way out if you could be so kind!_

_DG777_


	3. Ripping the Wings off of Butterflies

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Shane, Jason and Nate

**Words:** 1, 189

**Author's Notes:** So now we finally get to Connect 3 actually meeting each other! I've been planning this for awhile and I will admit that I kind of like how it came out. Hope you do too!

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It was a given that Shane would be the first person to arrive at Camp Rock. He and his uncle had already been there a week, setting up and moving furniture and equipment, before the other campers started arriving. Watching as everyone else mingled with each other, trying to act blasé and casual while in fact fighting down nerves, Shane grinned to himself before simply bounding down to his cabin, already knowing where it was.

Throwing the door open, Shane glanced between the three beds before grabbing the one to the right of the door. It may have been furthest from the bathroom, but it was also the one facing west – meaning the morning sun wouldn't bother him at all. Dumping his belongings, though he took care when laying down his acoustic, Shane hopped up onto his bed, tapping his feet as he waited for his cabin mates to manage to find him.

A good fifteen minutes had passed before the door was hesitantly pushed open. Taking in the figure with a single long, sweeping look, Shane could only assume that this was Jason. His hair was straight and his eyes a bright hazel. Without thought the boy chucked all his stuff onto the bed opposite Shane's, Shane wincing as he watched the guitar case bounce as it hit the quilt.

Deciding to make himself known, Shane slid off his bed, leaning forward to catch the other boy's attention. "Hi," he called.

Jason started, swinging around and seeing him for the first time. "Hi!" he chirped back. "How hard do you think it is to look after a cockatiel?"

"I-…I what?" Shane asked, the question he was asked not the one he was expecting.

"A cockatiel," Jason repeated. "It's a bird. How hard do you think it'd be to look after one?"

"Oh, uh…not very…?" Shane replied uncertainly.

"Huh," Jason mused, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. "See, because I have a pet cockatiel and Mom said she'd look after it for me all summer. Now, I love my mom and everything but she's never minded a bird before. I told her I'd bring it here but she said no, which I think is unfair by the way! If people can bring toads to Hogwarts for a whole year, then why can't I bring a bird here for less than that?"

Shane didn't answer, more confused than anything. Did he understand what this kid was saying? Yes. Did he get why it was relevant? Not really.

"Ooh, nice guitar!" Jason suddenly exclaimed, staring at Shane's acoustic with a wonderstruck expression. "Is it yours? Can you play it?"

"Of course I can play it," Shane huffed, a little offended by the implication.

"Okay then!" Jason grinned, dropping down onto his own bed, an expectant look on his face.

It was only then that Shane realised what Jason had meant. He hadn't been asking if Shane could play guitar in general, he was asking if he would play it right now. Still unsure about this cabin mate, who seemed eccentric at a minimum, Shane cautiously sat back down on his bed, reaching for his Martin.

"What kind of music do you like?"

Jason's question caught him off guard. Not because of the content, but because his voice had suddenly swapped to something of a more serious tone. Glancing up and see that the slight wildness in Jason's eyes had left, Shane realised that music was something this boy took very seriously.

"Anything really," Shane finally answered with a shrug. "I write a lot of my own stuff though, so I guess that's the kind of music I like."

Jason's eyes widened almost comically. "Dude, you write music? That's awesome! You _have_ to show me some of your stuff!"

While a naturally confident person, Shane would admit that he was a tad bit nervous right now – more because he had been caught unawares than anything else. He was about to launch into evasive tactics by asking what type of guitar Jason played when the distraction was provided for him in the form of their cabin door being pushed open.

Timidly, a smaller boy stepped into the wooden cabin, eyes ducking away from the unintentional stares that were being sent his way. Biting his lip, Nate nodded slightly to the two boys before padding his way across to the only spare bed, carefully placing down everything he'd brought.

"I guess you must be Nathaniel," Shane said, finally finding his voice and bouncing over, a hand extended.

"It's Nate," he corrected, shaking the offered hand as shortly as possible.

"Okay," Shane said slowly, rocking on his heels. "I'm Shane and that-" he pointed to his cabin mate "-is Jason. I guess we're all cabin mates for the summer."

"Awesome!" Jason beamed, face splitting into a grin. "This summer is going to be great, I just know it…Do you think there are many birds around here?"

Nate shot Shane an incredulous look, to which he shrugged. "I have no idea," he murmured to the thirteen-year-old, slinging an arm around his shoulders. "He's been going on about birds since he got here. Something about his pet cockatiel and whe-"

"Get off me."

Shane started, looking down and finding himself staring into a pair of suspicious, but also uncertain, deep brown eyes. "W-what?" he stammered, mostly out of shock.

"I said, get off me," Nate repeated, annunciating each word. "Why are you touching me?"

"Because…" Shane replied, removing his arm while Jason looked on with wide eyes.

Nate quirked an eyebrow. "Because…"

"I don't know," Shane provided, voice hardening slightly. "Because I wanted to."

"Oh-kay!" Jason exclaimed, jumping between them, pasting a wide smile on his face. "Let's not fight, let's…let's…play some music!"

"No thanks," Nate mumbled, shaking his head and heading back towards the cabin door.

"You know this is a music camp!" Shane called after him. "You're going to have to play eventually!"

Nate shot him a glare before shoving the door open, letting it thud shut behind him as he headed off towards the lake, hoping to find somewhere quiet and deserted.

"Uh…did we make him mad?" Jason asked, puzzled.

"I don't know," Shane shrugged. "Whatever it is though, kid's got serious issues. He's kind of a brat."

"You only just met him!" Jason protested indignantly, folding his arms. "Maybe he's not all that bad. Give him a chance, okay?"

Shane took a deep breath, calming himself down and trying to rein in his fiery temper. "Okay," he finally conceded. "Maybe he's nervous or…having a bad day or something. He's probably just scared of us because he's the youngest guy here."

"So, you mean like he's trying to prove himself?"

"Yeah," Shane murmured absently, staring at the now shut door. "Something like that."

Still, he hoped that's all it was. Because if this kid had an attitude, he'd live to regret it. After all, Shane had picked his cabin with the intention of his cabin mates being cool. If Nate wasn't, then he would find himself moved before he knew it.

But, for now, Shane was willing to give him a chance – _for now_.

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_A/N: so Shane is actually turning out be a bigger jerk than I originally intended. I will say that I like him like this though. And yep, Jason still loves his birds and Nate's a bit standoffish. Your thoughts?_

_DG777_


	4. The JigSaw

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Shane, Jason and Nate

**Words:** 1, 234

**Author's Notes:** Sorry this took so long. There's a lot going on at my place at the moment but I was determined to write this today. Thanks to you all for being so patient!

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It was nearing sundown when Nate finally made his way up from the isolated jetty he had found earlier in the afternoon. For most of the time he had been down there, he hadn't been able to shake the feeling of being watched, although he simply attributed that to his nerves. Either that or his cabin mates were spending their time spying on him. Unlikely.

Nate had to admit, his cabin mates didn't seem that bad in all honesty. While Jason had been a little weird or perhaps eccentric, it wasn't as though he was unpleasant. And while yes, perhaps his other cabin mate, Shane, had come across as a bit of a jerk, Nate knew it was his own behaviour that had sparked such a reaction. He hadn't exactly been the most friendly or hospitable person.

Glancing up and seeing everyone else heading for the mess hall, Nate assumed that it must be dinner time. Following the crowd, the younger teenager did his best to blind in, wanting nothing more than to _not_ stand out.

"Nate!"

The cry caught his attention and Nate's head snapped up, trying to locate the source of the sound. His eyes quickly landed on Jason who was waving at him from a table in the corner, Shane sitting opposite him. Realising that no one else was going to call him to over their table, Nate made his way over to the older boys.

"Hi," he said quietly, ducking his head.

"Hey!" Jason replied cheerily. "Where did you run off to?"

"I just…I was around," he murmured, sitting down on his own side of the square table.

"That's cool," Shane shrugged in a blasé manner. "Jason and I just had a mini-jam session and then I showed him around."

"Did you know that Camp Director Brown is his uncle?" Jason asked, sounding stunned.

"Your uncle runs this place?" Nate repeated, eyes wide.

"Sure does," Shane answered, linking his hands behind his head. "And he told me that you were keen to be here," Shane continued, raising an eyebrow. "Not the way it looks to me. So, what changed in those…nine days?"

Nate flushed, hoping he wasn't about to be caught out. "Nothing," he lied.

"Yeah well, just so you know, you don't have to be scared because you're little," Shane told him.

"Excuse me?" Nate demanded, unable to stop his hackles from rising. "You think that because I'm thirteen I'm little? And just so _you_ know, I am _not_ scared, especially not of you."

"Whoa, whoa, okay!" Jason hastily intervened. "Let's just pretend that nobody said anything. Let's think about music and dinner and birds! Or dinner," he finished sheepishly, seeing their pointed expressions. "Dinner's always good, right? You know, food?"

"I guess," Nate admitted, a shy, soft laugh escaping him.

"I don't really know if you can count the stuff we get served here as food," Shane grimaced. "I came here last year to help my uncle out and I can tell you, I have never had so much bad food in my life. I'm still seeing a therapist."

Nate smothered a giggle behind his hand and Shane prided himself on the accomplishment. Nate didn't seem like too bad of a kid, just like Jason had predicated, and his face lit up whenever he laughed. Not to mention he liked Shane's jokes, which was always a plus in his books.

After that initial interaction, the conversation started to flow more smoothly between them, though Nate was mostly silent. It was very rare for him to contribute in any way and Shane merely put it down to the fact that he was shy. Nate did appear to be enjoying himself though, so he and Jason must have been doing something right.

"Getting back to music," Shane said, folding his arms on the table-top after their plates had been cleared away, "Since this _is_ a music camp and all, which of you is going to-"

Shane was cut off as Dee caught everyone's attention with a loud shout.

"Hey all you campers!" she yelled, grinning broadly. "It's time for your Opening Night Jam. Who wants to be the firs-"

Dee didn't even get to finish as Shane erupted from his chair, flying down to where she was standing. Amused laughter followed him as various campers congratulated him on his enthusiasm. Nate looked on in wonder, wondering how Shane could be so confident and nonchalant. Didn't he know that performing was terrifying? Make one mistake and it could all come crashing down.

"Hey everyone! How are you all doing tonight?"

Apparently not.

One look at Shane's vibrant expression and dancing eyes and Nate could tell that in front of a crowd was where Shane felt most at home. As Shane let the responses come back at him, he grabbed an acoustic from one of the displays on the walls.

"I thought I'd do something a little different," he explained, pulling up a single chair, followed by a mic stand. "I know you're all expecting a big number and a grand performance but I'm not going to do any of that. I'm just gonna give you Shane."

Mutters flew around the room, many in approval, others not, but all of them ceased when Shane started strumming, eyes closing as he lost himself in the music.

_Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh_

I've been roaming around, always looking down at all I see  
Painted faces fill places I can't reach  


_You know that I could use somebody  
You know that I could use somebody_

Nate felt his eyes widen, exchanged an astonished glance with Jason. The way Shane was playing and singing, it was just flawless. The entire room was silent, watching Shane with baited breath, clinging onto his every note, every lyric.

_Someone like you and all you know and how you speak  
Countless lovers undercover of the streets  
You know that I could use somebody  
You know that I could use somebody  
Someone like you_

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh

Off in the night, why'd you live it up, I'm off to sleep  
Waging wars to shape the poet and the beat

I hope it's going to make you notice  
I hope it's going to make you notice  
Someone like me  
Oh, oh, someone like me  
Oh, oh, someone like me, somebody  
  
Shane's voice echoed off the walls, emotions coming out plain and clear. Everything he was, everything he kept hidden inside, it was all now on public display in the form of his music. What Shane was giving them was raw. He was baring his soul to them, and each and every one of them was being drawn to it, like a moth to a flame.

_I'm ready, I'm ready  
I'm ready, I'm ready now_

Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh  
Oh, oh, _someone like you, somebody  
Oh, oh, someone like you, somebody  
Oh, oh, oh, oh, oh, oh_

I've been roaming around, always looking down at all I see

Shane gave one final strum and then looked up at his fellow campers expectantly. Cheers erupted and everyone clapped enthusiastically, well beyond impressed. Jason was up on his chair yelling and Nate gave soft, quiet claps.

He knew now: Shane might be a lot of things, but if there was one thing he was, it was talented.

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_A/N: and here is the unveiling of chapter 4. I wrote it today at work so it may not be all that great but I hope you manage to enjoy it anyway. So, Shane and Nate are sort of starting to get along and Jason is just being himself. And also, the first jam. I can tell you now, picking the songs each of them were going to sing at each jam was by far the hardest part when I was planning this. Please comment and let me know what you thought; your feedback is greatly appreciated! _

_DG777_


	5. Catalyst

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Shane, Nate and Jason

**Words:** 1, 484

**Author's Notes:** it's funny, I was all pumped to write this but now, five chapters in, I'm already struggling. Sorry if that comes through in this chapter. I tried my hardest though.

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Nate hadn't spoken to either Jason or Shane once they'd arrived back to the cabin after Opening Night Jam. He had, instead, simply changed into his pajamas and curled up in his bed, a cell phone clutched tightly in his hand. At one stage, Shane had seen him make a call, but the dejected look on Nate's face had told him that whoever it was he was trying to reach had not picked up.

Unsure of the reason behind the sudden attitude change, Shane had offered to stay quiet. Nate had waved the suggestion away though, and urged him and Jason to be as loud as they wanted, to not bother about disturbing him. The arrangement didn't sit too well with Shane but he let it slide, deciding the nicest thing to do might be to respect his cabin mate's wishes.

So, he and Jason had spent hours talking. While they had many differences, they also had _many_ similarities. They seemed to like the same types of music and they could talk for hours about their dream guitars. It would have been early morning by the time they passed out, each slumping into their respective beds. It had been a night well spent.

The next morning had seen no change from Nate, Shane attributing it to the fact that, when Nate looked at his cell the moment he woke up, there were no missed calls or messages waiting for him. Shane had tried to brighten his mood by enticing Nate into conversation but the thirteen-year-old had shied away from him, doing is very best to not talk, preferring to keep quiet.

They had, however, had breakfast together, although all conversation was again carried between him and Jason. In a way, it was like Nate wasn't a person at all. He never spoke to them, avoided eye contact as often as possible, and only followed them when they asked him to. If they didn't, he would wander off for hours at a time, finding somewhere to sit in solitude.

And Shane had to admit, he didn't like it. He didn't like it at all.

And what was worse; he was actually starting to _worry_ about the kid.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

Nate wanted to convince himself he was having a good time, but he never even came close. He just wanted everything to be over so that he could go back home. In his thirteen years of being alive, Nate had never been away from his mother for even a single night. Whenever Courtney had gone on business trips or conferences, she had always insisted she bring Nate with her. And now, now he was out in the middle of nowhere all alone and his mother hadn't even bothered to call him once.

That was probably what hurt the most. The first time he'd called and been met with a voice mail, he figured his mother must have been half-way to London. But that didn't explain why she didn't call him back. She _still_ hadn't called him back, and it had been almost a week.

Okay, so that last bit had been a lie. She might have called in the past three days but Nate would never have known, seeing as how he was no longer in possession of his phone. It had been taken from him the fourth day of camp and he hadn't seen it since. He'd been tempted to report the theft to Director Brown but a well-placed threat had been enough to make him back down and forget the idea completely.

Nate was in the process of walking up from the lake where he'd been working on his lyric structure assignment when two familiar voices reached his ears, filling him with dread.

"Heya Nate," said the blond Kyle. "How's our favourite camper doing today?"

"Fine," he mumbled, trying to break away but being stopped when an arm was thrown over his shoulder.

"Aw, come on," mock-whined the older of the pair, Dylan. "We're just starting to get along, aren't we?"

Nate glanced up at the two boys flanking him nervously. It was because of _them_ that he was now cell phone-less.

"No," he snapped, agitated for once. "We weren't, so leave me alone."

That was obviously the wrong thing to say because he suddenly found himself pinned to a tree, a firm hand pressing onto his chest with enough pressure to cause pain.

"What was that?" Dylan snarled, raising an eyebrow.

"I just-"

"You don't get to 'just' anything," Kyle interrupted, smacking him up the side of his head. "You don't belong here and you know it. You're too little, too fragile. No one wants you here, little baby Nate. So cute, waiting for his mommy to call."

Nate found himself pricking up against his will when Kyle extracted his stolen Blackberry from his pocket, shaking it teasingly.

"You want it back baby?" Dylan asked in a fake display of sympathy. "You want it back to see if Mommy's called?"

"Give it back," Nate said, surprising himself with how level his voice sounded.

"That's not how we ask for things," Kyle laughed, wagging a finger tauntingly.

"Can I have it back, please?" Nate grumbled scathingly, holding out a hand.

Dylan growled at the attitude and pulled him away from the tree only to slam him back into it, Nate gasping as pain shot up his back, eyes closing as he tried to force tears away.

"If you want this phone so badly, you better damn beg for it," Dylan snarled, Kyle's face splitting into a smirk, casually rolling the cell in his palm.

Glancing between the phone, his only link to home, and the ground, Nate finally decided that his dignity meant less to him than the ability to speak to his mother. Facing burning with humiliation, he sunk to his knees, head bowing in shame.

"Please," he begged, hands forming shaking fists at his sides. "Please, _please_, can I have it back?"

There was a moment of silence and then it was shattered by laughter. "You're pathetic," Dylan scoffed, grabbing the cell from his friend and flinging it as far as it could, causing the Blackberry to land in the lake, promptly sinking out of sight.

"_No_!" Nate cried, launching to his feet only to be shoved back, Kyle pushing him hard enough to have him falling onto his back.

"What a loser," Kyle remarked, sneering down at him. "Why did you even bother coming here? Come back when you grow a pair and can actually prove that you deserve to be here."

With that, the troublesome duo left and Nate pushed himself up, scrubbing away his tears furiously. Rubbing his hands on his jeans, Nate looked out at the lake sorrowfully, swallowing in a vain attempt to stop more tears from falling. He didn't like this and he didn't want to be here; not in the slightest.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

A week later Shane opted out of going owl-hunting with Jason, something his fellow fifteen-year-old begged him to do every night, and made a point of heading straight back to his cabin. He was just about to bound up the stairs that led to their cabin door when a voice called him back.

"Shane!"

It was Jason.

"Hey Jason," Shane called, shoving his hands in his pocket as he turned to his other cabin mate. "What are you doing?"

"Going owl hunting," he said, as though it was obvious. "And why aren't you coming?"

"I wanna talk to Nate," Shane replied softly, glancing at the cabin behind him. "He's been too quiet lately. Jason, something isn't right."

Jason made a thoughtful face. "Maybe he's just always this quiet. It's not like he ever talks anyway. The longer he stays here, the quieter he gets." He shrugged. "Maybe that's just how he is."

"No way," Shane said firmly. "He suddenly got really quiet about a week ago. And there's something wrong with that. You go ahead," he added in a cheerful tone that was mostly faked. "I'll catch up with you once I make sure Nate's okay."

"Okay!" Jason agreed, brightening at the news that Shane would still be joining him. Without further input, he bounded off into the night, heading for the dense forest behind their cabin.

Shaking his head in amusement, Shane scaled the stairs behind him and pushed open their cabin door. What he saw when he opened it though was absolutely not what he was expecting. Nate's bags had all been packed and the younger teen was just shoving his final things into his knapsack when Shane hastily entered.

"Nate?" he called, shocking himself with the urgency his tone held.

"Shane!" Nate squeaked, startled, whirling around to face him.

"What's going on?" Shane demanded, striding across the room to stand in front of his cabin mate.

"Shane," Nate said, eyes meeting his before dropping to the floor. "I'm leaving Camp Rock."

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

_A/N: ah yes, another cliff-hanger. I always wanted it to come to this, it just happened a little bit more quickly than I expected. So obviously, our boys have some things to work through. Leave me a review on the way out to show that you care! And thank you to everyone who has commented thus far; you guys really make my day! :)_

_DG777_


	6. Back to Basics

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Shane, Nate and Jason

**Words:** 1, 455

**Author's Notes:** sorry this has taken so long. I've just had no inspiration for this whatsoever and, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't write anything. I got some fuel back in the tank today though so I wrestled it into this as much as I could.

Also, as a side note, thank you to everyone who's reviewed my story/ies in the form of flames and done so anonymously. It's great because I can't reply and justify my decisions to you. Thanks a lot.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

"Shane," Nate said, eyes meeting his before dropping to the floor. "I'm leaving Camp Rock."

"W-what?" Shane demanded, blinking furiously in shock. "What are you talking about? You can't leave!"

"I just…" Nate ran a hand through his hair, deep, sorrowful eyes turning to Shane. "I don't want to be here."

"Why?" the older teen pressed. "Is it because we're not 'nice' to you? I mean, no offence, but you haven't been helping any."

Nate blushed, dipping his head. "I know," he whispered, nodding. "You and Jason…you don't deserve to be treated the way I've been treating you. It was wrong of me and I'm sorry."

Shane paused, confused. Nate had been acting nothing but standoffish since he'd arrived and yet now he seemed to be sincerely apologising. Something about those two facts contradicted each other. They didn't go hand-in-hand at all.

"Okay," he said slowly, meeting his cabin mate's eyes. "Tell me the truth."

Nate started, glancing up at him in surprise. "You…"

"Yes, I know you're lying," Shane snapped. "There's more to this than you're saying. Why don't you want to be here now?"

"I _never_ wanted to be here!"

The explosive statement left a pregnant pause in its wake, Nate's eyes going wide when he realised what he'd said. No one was ever meant to know that. Shane had stiffened entirely, eyes narrowing before he reached out and grabbed Nate, dragging the boy over to his bed and forcing him to sit on it.

"Now," Shane said firmly as he took a seat next to him. "Tell me why you just said that. What did you even mean?"

"I meant I didn't want to come here in the first place," Nate mumbled ashamedly, hands twisting in his lap.

"Then why did you even bother coming?"

Nate's eyes flashed. "You know what? I don't have to explain myself to you. You might be the camp director's nephew, but this isn't any of your business."

"Whoa, whoa," Shane hurriedly cut in, holding up his hands. "I'm sorry," he said quietly, looking a tad bit sheepish. "You don't _want_ to be here and yet you are. I guess that probably means that there's something going on. I shouldn't have been so snappy about it. I'm sorry." He waved a hand. "Tell me. I promise to listen this time."

Nate eyed him up for a few moments before turning his attention back to his hands, nodding minutely. "There isn't much to tell." He shrugged. "My mom's a single mom who works really hard. My dad's never been in the picture. I don't even know who he is. But…that's not even relevant. The thing is…" Nate ran a hand through his curls, eyes glazing over as he stared blankly at the floor. "Mom needed to go away to some work convention to get promoted. But…she couldn't…well, she _wouldn't_ go because she didn't want to leave me alone. So I…" He shrugged once more as he trailed off.

"So you lied and told your mom you wanted to come here," Shane guessed, receiving a nod in return. "But you do like music though, right?"

Nate gave a little sniffling laugh. "Yeah," he admitted, offering his cabin mate a shy grin. "I really do. That's why I chose this place. It was easy to convince my mom that I was interested in this because, to her, it made sense for me to be."

"How were you going to explain why you wanted to come home?" Shane asked gently.

"Dunno," Nate replied. "But she'd be home now anyway. It doesn't matter why I'm home. She's probably already got her promotion."

"Probably?" Shane repeated, a frown forming across his face. "You haven't…you haven't spoken to her since you've been here? It's been two whole weeks."

"I…" Nate fumbled slightly on his words. "I lost my phone," he finally lied. "A few days into camp. I must have dropped it in the woods one afternoon or something. I don't know where it is."

Did Nate want to protect Kyle and Dylan? Of course not. Did he want to admit to Shane that he was being picked on? Another definite no.

"It's hard not hearing from your parents," Shane murmured, voice so emotional that it instantly grabbed Nate's attention. "You can't help but think something is wrong. Sometimes you…you just want to hear their voices…to hear them say that they love you."

"Shane…" Nate breathed, taken aback. "What…?"

"Nate," Shane said, meeting his gaze, eyes full of unshed tears. "My parents are dead."

Nate's breath caught in his throat, eyes widening. Shane saw his reaction and waved him away as dismissively as he could, considering the circumstances.

"They died when I was eight. Just went away for a holiday together and left me with Uncle Brown. Every night they'd call me and then…and then they didn't. Two days later Unc gets a call saying they were dead. Their…their car slipped on an icy patch of road, crashed straight into a tree. Apparently they died instantly."

"Shane," Nate whispered, shifting closer. "I'm so sorry. I…I didn't know."

Shane offered him a weak grin. "Don't worry about. It's not like you could do anything about it. But anyway," he said, taking a deep breath and rearranging his face. "Here," he murmured, holding out his phone. "Call your mom. Ask her how she is, and tell her you're _staying_."

Nate went to protest before giving a feeble grin. "Okay," he conceded, reaching out to take the phone.

"Nate!" Shane exclaimed, grabbing his cabin mate's hand and yanking it closer when he saw the deep grazes that covered his fingers and palm. Inspecting the other hand, he found near identical marks. "What happened?"

"I…I fell over," Nate mumbled, trying to draw his hands back despite Shane's firm grasp. He wasn't overly keen on telling Shane he'd been pushed over by Kyle and Dylan, trying to do everything he could to prevent his older cabin mate from seeing him as 'weak'.

"Nate," Shane deadpanned. "I've seen you in dance class. You have the best balance out of everyone. You don't just 'fall over'."

"Yeah, well," Nate snapped, pulling his hands away. "Maybe I did."

Shane studied him a moment longer before rolling his eyes, holding out his cell. If Nate wanted to play this game, then so be it. Nate had the grace to look guilty upon finding Shane still being so generous despite his attitude. Muttering an embarrassed 'thanks', Nate took the phone and dialled his mother's number, pressing it to his ear eagerly. It rang for a moment before there came the heavenly sound of someone picking up.

"_Courtney Anderson."_

"Mom!" Nate choked out, face splitting into a massive grin, Shane smiling softly at the reaction.

"_Nate? Baby, why haven't you been answering my calls?"_

"I…why haven't you been answering mine?"

"_You called me _once_,"_ Courtney pointed out, moving to explain when all she heard from her son was silence. _"I'm sorry mister. I was so busy at the conference – you really have no idea – and I will admit that I thought you might be calling to demand me come pick you up. I thought I'd wait for you to make some friends before calling you back because I can't bear to hear you upset and if you'd asked me to pick you up, you _know_ I would have come in an instant."_

Nate scratched his neck nervously. Yes, he did know. That's why he'd already packed his bags. "Okay," he finally said. "I'm sorry. And I'm sorry I haven't been answering. I lost my phone. My cabi-…my _friend_ is letting me use his."

Shane beamed at being referred to as a friend, something that had Nate smiling back shyly. A few more words were exchanged before Nate ended the call, not wanting to send Shane bankrupt with an extensive phone bill. He handed the cell back carefully.

"Thank you," he whispered, voice overflowing with gratitude.

"You're welcome," Shane said, matching his serious tone before swinging to his feet, a devilish grin on his face. "So…you wanna come owl-hunting with me and Jason?"

Nate did a double take. "You…you _want_ me to come with you?"

"Of course!" Shane told him with a roll of his eyes, lunging forward and grabbing his arm. "Now, _come on_! If we take too much longer, I might never be able to find Jason again! I swear, he sees a bird and follows it without thought. It could lead him all the way to Alaska and I don't think he'd notice."

Nate giggled quietly and followed along obediently. As he did he found himself wondering; if he had been open from the start, how different could his camp experience have been?

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

_A/N: so there you have it. Churned it out in about thirty minutes, followed by a quick proof-read. So we see a bit of Shane and Nate and them starting to get along. And for all Jason fans; don't worry, he comes back next chapter._

_Also, someone in a review said something about it being a camp and yet they've been there for like two weeks. Now, don't quote me on this, but I think American summer camps can go for really long times. I think even in Camp Rock they're there for over a month (there's some scene with a calendar with X-ed out dates). So, for the purpose of this, Camp Rock is about eight weeks long – go with it, no matter how unbelievable it is! Thanks! :)_

_DG777_


	7. Darkness Be Our Friend

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Shane, Nate and Jason

**Words:** 1, 718

**Author's Notes:** I have to apologise again for being so AWOL on this. Work has been dead crazy lately and I've also been struck down by the flu. Not very fun but I told myself I had to write this today because you all deserve at least that much. Hope I am forgiven for my ridiculous delay!

…so, I hurried myself last night and stayed up extra late to complete this only to hop on line and find FFnet down. -.-' But, without further delays, here it is!

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

Shane led Nate down through the words, using the path him and Jason had mentally created. Dodging the odd tree or five, Shane paused when they reached a particularly rocky part, the shape of each rock difficult to define in the near total darkness. Jumping onto the first flat rock, he turned back and held out a hand to Nate, not wanting the younger boy to stumble and fall. To his surprise, Nate merely raised an incredulous eyebrow before jumping down confidently, making his way through the debris without a single hesitation.

Shane watched the young guitarist, suspicion once again flaring up in his mind. No one with balance _that_ good could trip while simply walking. No, he was sure of it now: Nate had been pushed.

That led to a whole series of different questions in his mind. Who was pushing Nate over? Why would they even want to? How long had this been happening?

And maybe, most importantly, why hadn't Nate told him? Why had he lied?

"…Shane?"

The hesitant call recaptured his attention and he found his new friend to be standing at the bottom waiting for him nervously, shifting from foot to foot.

"I…I can go if you don't want me," Nate mumbled, already starting to retrace his steps, taking Shane's lack of following to mean the elder boy had changed his mind.

"No!" Shane said hastily, flying down the path. "Sorry, I just got thinking. But no, seriously, I want you to come with me. And trust me, Jason will want you to come too. He's a pretty cool guy."

"He talks about birds," Nate said, using such a tone that Shane couldn't tell if he thought it a good thing or a bad thing.

"Oh, he does more than just _talk_ about them," Shane laughed, beckoning his cabin mate on with a finger. "He'll chase 'em, watch 'em, look after 'em, and whatever else you can do with them."

Nate chose to remain silent on that and simply followed Shane dutifully, memorising the path they were walking down, feeling as though it might be useful to do so. After all, if worst came to worst and he got separated from his new friends, he'd like to at least know how to get back to the camp site. It was logical.

"Well, okay," Shane said slowly, pausing and turning a complete three sixty. "We _usually_ hang out somewhere around here but…"

There was no need to finish that sentence because the clearing was entirely empty. Obviously, Jason was not there.

"Maybe he's-"

Nate never got to finish because, at the point, Jason came barrelling in between them, causing the pair to jump about a mile in the air, completely startled. Their friend's hair was sticking up slightly and a wide grin was spread over his face. He was all but bouncing with excitement.

"Hey Shane, you'll never believe wha-…Nate? What are you doing here?" Jason tilted his head in confusion, glancing between Shane and aforementioned cabin mate.

Shane simply shrugged, ignoring how Nate suddenly appeared nervous again. "I asked him to come with me. That's cool, isn't it?"

Jason's eyes lit up even in the darkness. "Definitely!" he exclaimed. "Let me tell you," he started grandly, slinging an arm over Nate's shoulder and dragging him along as he walked. "Shane may be a lot of things, but using his eyesight is definitely not one of them. Half the time, when he yells out about seeing an owl, it's really a pinecone."

"I…" Nate, as casually as possible, slipped out of the friendly arm that was stretched across his shoulders – something that didn't escape Shane's notice. "I don't think I'll be able to help much either. I've never even seen an owl. Well, not in real life. I've seen them in books and on tv and things like that…but never a real one."

"Oh don't worry about that," Jason said airily, waving a hand flippantly. "They're not really all that hard to spot. Come on, let's see if we can find one!"

Nate looked between Jason and Shane but Jason was already leaping away and Shane was grinning at him like a lunatic. Something about the fifteen-year-old's grin was infectious though and Nate couldn't help but return, albeit only in the form of a small smile. The action seemed enough to appease Shane and he scooted after Jason, enticingly gesturing for Nate to follow.

The three of them hunted through the darkness, often pausing to listen for any hoots before deciding on a direction change. Nate was absolutely confident that half the times when Jason claimed to hear something, he was really making it up but the older boy was adamant that he was _actually_ hearing what he said he was. Shane just shrugged helplessly and went along with it. Clearly, he was used to this routine and rather sporadic behaviour.

Nate estimated they must have been unsuccessfully hunting for a good hour and a half before they decided to troop back to their cabin. Jason was particularly depressed at not being able to spot an owl, something he was then going to point out to Nate, gifting the boy with the pleasure of seeing a _real_ owl. Shane was merely enjoying the chance to be outside, humming and singing as he ran through the trees with his friends, encouraging the other two into conversation with him. While still significantly the most reserved of the three, Nate was at least now starting to answer questions as well as ask a few of his own. Shane himself was amazed by how much progress they had made in a single night.

"Hey guys!" Jason suddenly said, stopping dead in his tracks. "I bet if we looked up at the sky, we could make a constellation that looked like a bird!"

"There're more than enough stars to use," Nate said dryly, making Shane snort in amusement.

"Sure Jason," he agreed, waiting for Nate to nod before continuing. "Why don't we head down to the piers? There're no trees to get in the way there, plus the lake is always really cool."

"I am so there!" Jason exclaimed, not even waiting for them before taking off.

Shane was right on his heels though, flinging a call over his shoulder to his youngest friend. Nate ran after them, not wanting to lose his friends in the darkness. Being smaller had its advantages, as it meant he was able to slip under trees and dodge things far easier than Shane and Jason, something that had him arriving at the lake shore only seconds after Shane, despite the older boy's head start. Exchanging a shy smile, Nate paused for just a second before jumping up onto the pier and chasing after Jason. Shane had just joined him when a loud _splash_ suddenly shattered the relative silence.

Glancing down at the end of the pier, both boys quickly realised that Jason was no longer in sight. They downright sprinted to the end of the pier, throwing themselves to their knees at the end. As they looked down, a confused Jason stared back up at them.

"I don't remember the pier being that short!" Jason declared indignantly.

Shane burst out laughing, flopping down onto the wood. "It's always been this short dude. It's just funny that you've never noticed!"

"Ha ha," Jason pouted, swimming towards them. "Help me up?"

"No way," Shane scoffed, instead getting to his feet and kicking off his shoes. "I'm coming in!"

That was the only warning that was given before Shane dive-bombed in, Jason screaming as he was splashed, Nate crying out also, water splashing up at him and saturating his clothes. Jason soon recovered from his shock though and started a water fight. The two boys busied themselves with that while Nate happily observed from the pier. This didn't go unnoticed by Shane.

"Nate, come in!" he called, paddling back over.

"No thanks," Nate replied, shaking his head. "I'm…I'm not really good at swimming."

"We won't let you drown," Jason huffed, looking offended.

"He's right," Shane said, voice softer. "So come on, come in. Please?"

Sighing heavily, Nate threw his eyes skyward before getting to his feet. Untying his shoes and slipping off his t-shirt, leaving him in only his undershirt and jeans, Nate jumped in, gasping as the cold water engulfed him. He came up spluttering but also with a smile on his face. Shane was beaming back at him, opening his mouth to speak when another voice cut him off.

"And here I was, about to commend Nate on his choice to not participate in rule breaking. It appears now that I was wrong."

All three boys whipped their heads up to see Brown staring down at them, his arms crossed and expectantly waiting for an answer.

"Hey Uncle Brown!" Shane said cheerily, swimming over. "What brings you out here so late?"

"Hmm, I wonder," was the sarcastic reply. "Maybe it's three young rule-breakers. Swimming in the lake after lights out is not allowed."

"We're sorry," Nate mumbled, moving to the ladder and clambering up slowly.

Shane shot Brown a pointed look as he climbed up after his friend, picking up his shoes from the ground. "It's not his fault. Jason kind of fell in, and then I jumped in, and _then_ I talked Nate into jumping in too."

"And yet you all did it in the end, not matter how accidentally," Brown said.

"But-"

"No buts!" Brown interrupted, holding up a hand and gesturing for silence. "Now, as punishment you three are going to be up bright and early for kitchen duty tomorrow. However, seeing as how this is your first offence, I'll let you off with tomorrow only, how's that sound?"

"It sounds great Camp Director Brown," Jason answered, nodding sheepishly. "We're really sorry."

"Good, now you three, off! To bed. Now!"

They nodded in unison before taking off, flying back to their cabin as fast as they could in wet clothes. Once back in Cabin Coda, they all gratefully changed into their warm, dry pajamas, hanging their wet clothes up to dry. Nate had just finished helping Jason hang up the last of his things when Shane decided to speak up.

"I think we should perform in the Camp Fire Jam together."

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

_A/N: I know that this chapter too might move a little fast, but, as I said earlier, I'm really struggling with this and I'm just finding it hard to write at the moment. Still, I do put my heart into every chapter and I, personally, am quite pleased with this chapter. So let me know if you are, and tell me what you think in a review. You guys are awesome!_

_DG777_


	8. No Such Thing

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Shane, Nate and Jason

**Words:** 2, 301

**Author's Notes:** here's the next chapter. I actually really like it, which is rare as I usually do not like what I write. But I'm happy with this chapter and so hope you enjoy it too!

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

"I think we should perform in the Camp Fire Jam together."

Needless to say, Nate paled a good shade or two at Shane's words, completely petrified. While it was true that he loved to sing and play instruments, he wasn't too thrilled about performing in front of an audience – at least not until he was good enough to please them.

"That sounds awesome!" Jason agreed, interrupting Nate's thoughts. "The three of us together would sound amazing."

"Nate?" Shane called, flipping his hair out of his eyes.

"I…" His eyes dropped. "I don't really know Shane. I'm not good enough."

"Oh come on!" Jason protested, voice firm. "Nate, I've heard you in class when you think no one else is listening. You sound better than I ever will!"

"I do not," Nate argued quietly, bowing his head and shaking it slightly. "I just don't think I'm good enough. You two should perform though. You'd be great," he finished, offering them a smile.

Shane shook his head. "Not good enough. You're good Nate, trust me."

"You know you can trust him," Jason nodded.

Nate gave him a questioning look. "Why?"

"Because he knows the difference between a crow and a raven."

"…What has that got to do with anything?"

"It has everything to do with it!" Jason exclaimed. "A guy who knows his birds is as trustworthy as they come."

"Are you sure you're okay?" Nate asked incredulously, daring to make his first joke.

"Guys!" Shane interjected just as Jason went to retort.

Jason and Nate stared at each other for a moment before Jason started laughing and Nate ducked his head, giggling quietly under his breath. Shane watched the interaction with a hint of a sour frown on his face. _He_ was the one that had invited Nate to be their friend and _he_ should be the one Nate was more comfortable around. Call him petty but he was just slightly jealous right now.

"So, you performing with us?"

Unfortunately, that anger crossed over into his speech and had Nate scurrying back into his shell, his mask of a fierce attitude returning full force. His eyes narrowed as he glared at Shane and the fifteen-year-old was quick to make amends, holding up his hands to show he meant no harm.

"Sorry," he whispered, tugging on his sleeve absently. "I just…I _really_ want to do this Nate. And I want you to do it with us too."

"Come on Nate," Jason begged, eyes staring at his new friend pleadingly.

'_Don't you _dare_ say yes because of Jason,'_ Shane growled, though he instantly berated himself for having such a thought.

Nate glanced between them for a long moment before sighing heavily. "Okay," he said, giving a helpless shrug. "But only because you want to so much Shane."

Was it disgusting that Shane felt a sliver of pride and smugness shoot through him when Nate only said his name? He thought that maybe it was and so didn't dwell on that point.

"So…" Jason stated, clapping his hands together excitedly. "What are we gonna play?"

All eyes turned to Shane and a smile spread across his face. "I have just the song."

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

The next three days were filled with nothing but rehearsals in every minute of free time they had. Between classes Jason and Nate would whip out Shane's acoustic and practice, one playing, the other providing correction where needed. Shane would sing along, working on perfecting his pitch and tone. Meal times were the only times they weren't practising, and they immersed themselves in food. Shane had entertained the campers one night by bounding up onto their table and bursting into a spontaneous song that focused solely on how to make the perfect taco. The performance had been hilarious and not a single camper had had a straight face by the time he had finished.

After dinner was usually free time and that was when they would really rehearse. They'd hole up in their cabin, plug in their amps and electric guitars and then launch into a practice session, many of which went for hours. Nate was, by nature, a perfectionist and would continue to practice, albeit quietly, long after Shane and Jason turned in for the night. Two out of three times Nate had fallen asleep on the cabin floor and Shane had woken hours later to find him still sitting there, getting up to put his younger cabin mate to bed.

By the Thursday night though, they were ready. As it was, they were gathered side of stage. Jason was jumping up and down with excitement, grinning like a lunatic. Shane was returning the grin, his eyes sparkling in the reflection of the spotlights. Nate was pressed tightly to Shane's side, shivering in nervousness but ready to follow Shane at a simple command. Seeing his friend's trembles, Shane gave him a friendly shake. He frowned when he realised the action again had Nate staring up at him with suspicion and confusion and he noted to himself that this was something he would have to bring up at a later date. He and Nate had become quite close over the past few days, Nate all but becoming his shadow, and Shane wanted to make sure his new friend was fine.

"Guys!" Jason hissed urgently, snagging their attention. "Dee just called our names. Come on, it's our turn!"

Shane nodded and burst into action, giving Nate a short, sharp tug in the right direction before letting go and bounding up onto the stage. Nate followed, wiping his face clean and adopting a confident air, pulling up in front of one of the mics and adjusting his guitar slightly. Jason bounced over to his own mic and shot him a flash of a grin.

"Hey guys!" Shane called, the campers cheering enthusiastically back at him, anxious to see the follow-up act to Shane's amazing opening night performance. "Jason and Nate are helping me out tonight, so why don't you give them both a hand?" There was more cheering and Shane's teeth gleamed as he smiled broadly. "Kick it!"

Screams came from the audience and Jason started strumming his guitar, Shane immediately moving to the beat, clapping his hands high above his head. Seeing Jason's nod coincide with his mental calculations, Nate jumped in with his own guitar riff, shuddering at the feel of his pick colliding with the strings. Something about this was euphoric. Shane saw the smile that was starting to form on his face and returned it ten-fold before leaping forward, mic held firmly in his hand.

"_I have to wonder if this wave's too big to ride  
Commit or not commit in such a crazy tide  
It's sooner than I thought but you called me out  
I've lost control and there's no doubt  
I'm gonna start all over  
_

_Out of the fire and into the fire again  
You make me want to forget  
And start all over  
Here it comes straight out of my mind or worse  
Another chance to get burned  
And start all over  
I'm gonna start all over"  
_

Finishing the chorus, Shane looped an around Jason's shoulder, the guitarist having since wandered over.

"_Fantastic and romantic all a big surprise  
You've got the warning hesitation pushed aside"_

Shane was then disentangling himself and jogging over to where Nate was, coming up beside the guitarist and dancing alongside him.

"_It's sooner than I want but you caught my heart  
I guess I'm ready now to start  
I'm gonna start all over_

_Out of the fire and into the fire again  
You make me want to forget  
And start all over  
Here it comes straight out of my mind or worse  
Another chance to get burned  
And start all over  
I'm gonna start all over"_

There was the slightest of hesitations but then Nate pulled himself together enough to do his part.

"_It's so easy  
You disrupt me  
Can't complain_

_It's so easy_

_You disrupt me_

_Can't complain"_

By the third time the confidence in his voice was impossible to miss and girls were screaming at him, ahh-ing over his voice.

"_It's so easy_

_Oh, you disrupt me_

_Can't complain_

_It's so easy_

_I'm gonna start all over!"_

"_Out of the fire and into the fire again"  
_  
Shane's powerful voice boomed back in and the screaming only intensified, both in volume and in pitch. It was obvious who the main attraction was.

"_You make me want to forget  
And start all over  
Here it comes straight out of my mind or worse  
Another chance to get burned  
And start all over  
I'm gonna start all over"_

With one last definitive strum, the boys ended their song. A standing ovation met them and Shane didn't think he could grin any wider if he tried. Reaching out both hands, he grabbed Jason and Nate's, tugging them over and then into a traditional bow. Jason beamed at him and Nate sent him a bashful smile, both boys bowing in sync with him. They then dashed off stage, adrenalin coursing through their veins uncontrollably.

"That was incredible!" Jason screamed, jumping ecstatically.

"It was so good," Shane agreed, cheeks starting to hurt from the amount of smiling he was doing. "You liked it Nate?"

Nate blushed, giving a soft nod. "It was fun. You guys were great."

"Not to mention you were too," Jason added, pulling the younger teen into a hug and squashing him.

Nate broke away as quickly as he could, screwing his nose up distastefully before hovering over to Shane's side and the relative safety that brought. Shane sent him an understanding smile and Nate just rolled his eyes, shaking his head at Jason's antics.

"So now what?" Jason asked, rocking back and forth on his heels.

"Watch everyone else," Shane answered immediately. "There's still two or three acts to go."

"I'm gonna put my guitar back first," Nate said quietly, waving the others on when they turned to frown at him. "I don't wanna leave it back here and I don't really wanna take it with me."

"It won't get stolen," Shane told him, back-tracking when Nate raised his eyebrows. "Nate, people can get away with stealing phones. It's a little harder to steal a guitar. They can't exactly stuff it down their shirt."

Nate knew it was true but he was still uneasy. "I'll be like five minutes," he promised, waiting for Shane to give a grudging nod before taking off into the darkness.

Slipping down the path he'd since memorised, Nate jogged up the stairs to their cabin and hastily put his guitar back in its case. Snapping the clips shut, he walked back to the door, closing it behind him. Feet hitting the soft earth again, Nate broke into a jog only to be yanked back, landing on his back with a painful thud, head banging against the ground.

Whatever protest had been on his lips promptly vanished when he saw Kyle and Dylan standing over him. Swallowing nervously, Nate pushed himself back to his feet carefully, wincing as his head started throbbing. He had managed to avoid the two bullies lately, simply because Shane and Jason had never left him alone.

"How are you Nate?" Kyle asked. "We haven't seen you in _so_ long."

"I've been around," Nate answered cautiously, trying to subtly shift far enough away that he could run to safety.

"I don't think so!" Dylan snapped, grabbing Nate and hauling him closer, noticing what he was up to. "You think you're so clever now that you've got some people who feel sorry for you?"

"They don't feel sorry for me," Nate countered, trying to wrench himself free but failing. "They're actually my friends."

Both older boys scoffed. "They're your friends," Kyle mocked. "Doubt that. If they were real friends, they wouldn't have let you out on stage tonight."

Nate paused, pointedly looking away so as not to make it look as though the words were affecting him.

"Oh," Dylan said, bending down to get a good look at his face. "So you already know? You already know how much like crap you sounded. I wouldn't have let you anywhere near that stage. You don't deserve to be up there. Not with that…that _noise_ you think is talent. My cat can _yowl_ better than you can sing."

Nate tried to brush their words off, but the task was excruciatingly hard, especially seeing as how he already felt the same way himself. "Yeah, well, I-"

"And besides," Kyle cut in, nudging his shoulder roughly. "That Shane Gray kid isn't your friend. I heard him talking to Brown. The only reason you're in his cabin is because you're so little and Brown thinks you need someone to look after you, to make sure you can cope." Nate stiffened, wide eyes turning to Kyle. "Shane was _ordered_ to be your friend, baby Nate. It's his _job_." Kyle laughed at his expression. "Don't look so surprised brat. Did you really think they'd want _you_ as a friend?"

"God, you're more naïve than I thought," Dylan crowed, playing along. He reached out and grabbed Nate from Kyle, shoving him hard enough to make him topple over. "No one wants you here Nate," he spat, a foot connecting with Nate's side painfully. "Now, get outta here."

"_Now_!" Kyle roared upon seeing his hesitation.

Kyle's voice was enough to have Nate up and moving. He scampered back to his feet and made for his cabin, hurling himself inside and slamming the door shut. Shuffling over to his bed, Nate stared at it dejectedly before shifting to lean against the wall. As tears started to roll down his cheeks, he let himself slide down the wood, hugging his knees when he was seated on the ground.

Shane. He wanted Shane right about now.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

_A/N: can Nate get some sympathy hugs? I feel bad for putting him through this. So anyway, let me know what you thought, what you liked, what you didn't like and what you might like to happen next chapter. I won't guarantee that it_ will _happen, but it might inspire me. :) Comments are love!_

_DG777_


	9. What Lies Beneath

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Shane, Nate and Jason

**Words:** 2, 335

**Author's Notes:** managed to churn this out tonight. Enter a myriad of scenes and some conflict resolution. :)

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

"Nate? Nate?"

Shane pushed open the cabin door, frowning when all that met him was darkness. Glancing back at Jason with a confused expression, he walked inside and strode over to Nate's bed. Even as he approached, he could hear the sound of soft breathing, a sure sign that his young friend was already asleep.

"He didn't come to watch the other acts?" Jason asked incredulously. "That's a little rude."

"Maybe he's sick or something?" Shane suggested with a shrug. "He said he was going to come so he obviously changed his mind last minute. I guess something happened."

"I hope he's okay," Jason said, a look of worry starting to spread across his features.

"Don't worry," Shane replied, clapping his friend's shoulder reassuringly. "I'm sure he's fine. And we can just ask him in the morning anyway."

"Good point. Well, in that case, night Shane!"

Shane called back a similar farewell as he watched Jason bound off to the bathroom to change. Choosing to change into his own pajamas simply where he was, Shane shot one last look at Nate before clambering into his bed. Something about this wasn't sitting right with him. What that was he didn't know, but he didn't like it.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

Nate breathed a tiny sigh of relief when he heard Shane walk back to his bed. While probably not something to be proud of, Nate was quite skilled when it came to fake sleeping. He'd done it plenty of times growing up when he and his mother had been sharing hotel rooms and he'd wanted to know what was going on and she wouldn't tell him. Pretending to sleep and then eavesdropping had become a strategy he constantly relied on.

While he would openly admit that he wanted Shane's comfort severely half an hour ago – heck, he'd've even have take Jason's random speeches about birds – now, he was resolved otherwise. He didn't want Shane to find out what was happening to him, to discover how weak he really was, to give the older boy another reason to abandon him.

Because Kyle and Dylan had planted the right seed.

Nate already couldn't comprehend why Shane and Jason would want to be friends with him after he'd been so cold to them, and the provided explanation of Shane being ordered to fit that hole rather nicely. And if Shane really was only being his friend by force, would he even care that Nate was being bullied?

He doubted it.

A couple of tears escaped his eyes before he was able to stop them. Forcing back further tears, Nate screwed his eyes up tighter and tugged his blanket closer. He'd sleep this off and tomorrow he could pretend that everything was okay again.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

"Hey Uncle Brown!"

The Englishman pulled up when he heard his name being called. Turning around, he found himself face-to-face with his nephew. Smiling, Brown slung an arm over Shane's shoulders and pulled him in for a side-hug.

"How you going mate?"

Shane gave him a half-smile. "I'm doing fine." He sighed and then chewed his lip anxiously, something that made Brown frown in concern. "Can we…can we talk in your cabin?"

"Of course," Brown said, leading his nephew into his office and letting the door shut behind them. Sitting himself in his chair, Shane dropped into the one on the opposite side of the desk. "Now, what's going on?"

"It's not me," Shane groaned, seeing the pointed look he was receiving. "I haven't done anything stupid, I'm not wanting to be excused from anything, and I'm not the one that put red food colouring in the pancake batter." A knowing look had him back-tracking. "Okay, so maybe I _did_ do that-"

"I thought as much and I-"

"-but it's about Nate."

Brown stopped mid-sentence, eyebrows knitting together. He leant forward in his chair, fingers interlacing. "What about him?"

"I don't know," Shane admitted, picking at the wooden table-top. "But something's not right. Every time he starts to open up to Jason and me, he suddenly goes really quiet again. Like, right now. He's barely even speaking to us. He doesn't say a word."

"I've noticed," Brown agreed. "I see him in class. Sure, he sings quietly but now he won't even sing at all. If I didn't know better I'd say he'd had his voice stolen. I can't get so much as a peep out of him."

"And he's not better in any of his other classes!" Shane pressed. "Last time he was like this, I think he was upset because he lost his cell phone."

"He lost it?"

"Yeah, he dropped it in the woods somewhere," Shane stated dismissively, "But _this_ time…this time I don't know. Ever since the Camp Fire Jam, he's really shut himself away. I keep asking him what's wrong and he always tells me it's nothing. I…what should I do?"

Brown suddenly found himself staring into two pleading, deep amber eyes. He shifted back in his chair, folding his arms in thought. "Just keep watching him," he eventually said. "If you see something that doesn't seem right or he starts doing something else which is strange, come tell me immediately. And keep trying to talk to him. If he sees that you care, he'll eventually open up. Just be his friend Shane, that's what he needs. It's all anyone needs. You keep doing that, he'll come round."

Shane mulled everything over in his head before giving a firm nod, flashing his uncle a grin. "Thanks Uncle Brown. Nice talking to you."

The hint of teasing in his voice had Brown scowling but the teen simply laughed, dashing out of the cabin before some sort of punishment could be imposed upon him. He'd just passed the mess hall when he felt something slam into him, both him and the thing that'd hit him tumbling to the ground. Moaning in pain, Shane pushed himself into a sitting position.

"Shane!"

Staring down, he found himself staring at Jason, the other fifteen-year-old still flat on his back, limbs tangled as he stared up at his cabin mate owlishly. "Jason?" he asked, rubbing his neck. "Dude, that _really_ hurt. What were you doing?"

"Nate!"

"What?" Shane asked, completely bewildered, especially since aforementioned boy was nowhere in sight.

"Nate!" Jason repeated breathlessly, flying to his feet in a stumbling motion. "You've got to come Shane! Come on!" he urged, grabbing Shane's arm and starting to run.

"Jason!" Shane called, trying to pull his friend up but failing. "Just what is going on?"

"It's Nate," Jason called back.

Shane wanted to hit his friend over the back of the head. Yes, he knew this was about Nate. But Jason didn't seem inclined to elaborate and Shane decided that the faster he let Jason take him where he wanted, the faster he would find out what he wanted to know. Even as he thought this, Jason was yanking him to a stop, Shane stumbling and nearly falling over because of the force he was pulled up with.

"Jason! What the he…"

Shane trailed off when he saw what was in front of him. On one of the deserted docks, Nate was being circled by two boys, much like vultures circled a carcass. The thirteen-year-old was clearly afraid, constantly trying to take steps back only to be forced forward again when one of the boys would suddenly shift toward him. His fear filled eyes flickered up to see Shane and Jason watching him, and Shane could only feel his stomach drop when he saw the resignation in Nate's eyes, his posture suddenly slumping, all fight gone.

"Oh my god," Shane whispered, hastily jumping down the path.

"What?" Jason called, hurrying after him.

"Nate thinks we're just watching!"

His feet crashing through the sticks that littered the ground caught Kyle and Dylan's attention and the two bullies' attention flew up the hill. They exchanged slightly panicked looks upon seeing Shane Gray. Everyone knew who Shane's uncle was, and they all knew to treat Shane like royalty; to do otherwise would be pure foolishness. Still, Kyle gave Dylan a nod, deciding they would be able to take Shane easily. After all, the kid was all ego.

"Well looky who turned up," Kyle sneered, giving Nate a hard-slap on the back.

The resultant wince made Shane explode. He grabbed Nate, hauled his friend behind him and glared at the two older teens. "What makes you think you can just come in here and pick on my friend? That's so not on."

"Like Nate's your friend," Dylan scoffed. "Everyone knows Brown made you be his friend."

"You really think anyone's stupid enough to believe that?" Shane demanded angrily.

"Oh, did you hear that Nate?" Kyle mocked. "Shane thinks you're stupid."

"No I don-…" Shane trailed off, turning to face his friend, who was currently staring at the ground, realising the implication of Kyle's words. "Nate," he whispered. "You don't…you don't really believe that…do you?"

Nate glanced up at him once through his curls before shying away, cheeks burning with shame.

"Oh, poor Shane. Your more pathetic than we-"

"Shut up!" Shane growled, head snapping round to glare fiercely at the bullies. "I don't know where you got the idea that it's okay to speak to me like that. I'm Shane Gray. You don't get to speak to me like that. _Ever_."

"You threatening us Gray?" Dylan demanded, stepping forward.

"You beat he is! And so am I!" Everyone turned to see Jason standing there, eyes narrowed and more serious than Shane or Nate had ever seen him.

"Oh, it's the bird freak," Kyle said, pretending to be afraid. "Oh save me, what will I do now?"

Shane took a determined step forward and even Nate's eyes were snapping in fury, his head raising in response as the desire to defend his friends started to override his fear.

"Don't talk about my friends like that," Shane ordered, flipping his hair out of his eyes. "I'm not going to let you get away with this."

"Oh really?"

"Yeah, really. This is _my_ camp. I can do what I want. And I want you out of here. And all it's gonna take is one talk to my uncle." Shane folded his arms triumphantly. "You're never coming back here."

Dylan bristled at Shane's condescending attitude and suddenly flew towards the singer. Shane started at being attacked so physically. He went to duck away when someone else latched a hand around Dylan's upper arm, grabbing tightly and then hauling the sixteen-year-old off balance and into the lake. Everyone glanced around in stunned silence.

"What?" Jason asked, confused by their awe-struck stares, Kyle included. "I have brothers and sisters."

No one knew what to say to that and were, thankfully, relieved of the task of thinking up a response as another voice suddenly joined the fray. "I saw all of that and I have to say," Brown's voice commanded everyone's attention. "That is one of the nicest throws I've ever seen." Jason, Shane and Nate grinned at each other shyly. "But now," the Englishman continued, "all five of you better get in my office. I think there's a lot of explaining to be done."

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

A good hour later their stories were finished being told. Nate hadn't really wanted to say anything, but Shane's urging had eventually coaxed him into talking and, once he'd started, everything came flooding out. Everything from the stolen phone, to being pushed over, to the verbal abuse; nothing stayed hidden.

Shane and Jason had glanced at each in horror, guilt flooding them. How had they missed all the signs Nate had been showing? But they both knew the answer. They hadn't _not_ noticed them, they just hadn't pushed the issue hard enough to get a truthful answer. And now, the damage had already been done. Nate had already shred his self-esteem and his love of the stage had been promptly chased away.

Once Kyle's and Dylan's parents had been called, they had been sent to the storage cupboards. They were to tidy the shelves until their parents arrived – even if that took days, according to Shane, who was taking full advantage of his position as Camp Director's nephew. The two boys had also been required to pay a set amount towards a new cell phone for Nate.

"Nate," Shane asked once Kyle and Dylan were gone. "Why didn't you tell us?"

Nate shrugged minutely, making himself as small as possible. "I don't know."

"Did you not want Shane and Jason to laugh at you?" Brown asked knowingly, leaning down to Nate's height and taking the boy's shoulders in his hands. "Did you think they were going to make fun of you because you were being bullied?"

Nate nodded and then shook his head.

"Were you afraid they were going to stop being your friend if they found out?" Brown tried instead.

Nate bit his lip before nodding softly. Brown removed his arms and looked at his nephew and Jason.

"Well boys?" he prodded. "Are you going to stop being Nate's friend?"

"Of course not!" Jason exclaimed, looking highly offending. Glaring at Brown, he wrapped his arms around Nate. "Nate's my friend. I'm never going to stop being his friend."

Nate blushed at the words, all the while doing his best to squirm away from Jason. He was finally able to break free, shrugging his shoulders nonchalantly but Shane could see the underlying apprehension that riddled his frame.

"Your mom doesn't hug you much, does she?" Shane suddenly asked.

Nate glanced at him in surprise, head tilting in confusion. "Why would she?"

"Why wouldn't she?" Jason gasped, eyes widening.

"I don't…What's the big deal?" Nate asked, utterly bewildered.

"Oh Nate," Shane sighed, reaching out for his friend and pulling him into his arms. Looking down, he saw the suspicion and now, twinge of fear, the filled his friend's eyes. "This is okay Nate. This is what family does. And you're my family; you and Jason. We're family."

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

_A/N: I would write more, but I'm dead tired, it's getting late and I have to up early for work tomorrow. XD But I really enjoyed writing this chapter regardless and hope it didn't seem too sudden for you._

_DG777_


	10. Don't Fade Away

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Shane, Nate and Jason

**Words:** 2, 214

**Author's Notes:** thanks to everyone who reviewed. You guys always have good things to say, and it really helps me get through life. I'm glad you are liking this so much. Also, please ignore this next bit, because it's probably not going to be aimed at you.

Thank you again my anonymous flamers! Thank you for not having the courage to log in and leave a review so that I might be able to comment back. I'm glad you are proud of being so cowardly! Next time you want to flame me, do so in such a way that I can reply, just to show how "manly" and "brave" you really are.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

"Nate," Shane said that night when they were holed up back in Cabin Coda. "You know that what Kyle and Dylan said wasn't true. Jason and I really _do_ want to be your friend, and we really care about you."

"I know," Nate mumbled unconvincingly, playing with his shoe-laces absently.

"Aha," Jason said sarcastically, rolling onto his back and staring at the ceiling. "You know, I wish there was a kookaburra here right now, just so it could laugh."

"A kookaburra?" Nate repeated in confusion.

"Australian bird," Jason explained dismissively. "They sit in trees and laugh. One should be here right now because you're lying and lying's sad so something needs to lighten the mood. I guess a flock of toucans could fly passed," he mused after a moment. "I mean, they don't live around here but they're colourful if nothing else. I love their beaks," he sighed dreamily, leaving Nate and Shane to exchanged slightly concerned looks.

"Jason's right about one thing though," Shane said, moving over and wrapping an arm around Nate's shoulders securely. "You _are_ lying."

Nate sighed, going to worm out of Shane's hold until his friend's arm tightened.

"No way," Shane stated firmly. "I told you that this was okay, so you're gonna have to accept that sooner or later."

"Can't I pick 'later'?" Nate huffed under his breath, though Jason heard and smiled in response.

"I was wondering," Jason spoke up, meeting Nate's gaze by tilting his head back on the floor. "How come your mom doesn't hug you? Does she have personal space issues or does she just not like to?"

"I…I don't know," Nate admitted, looking away. "Mom never touches anyone. I think…I don't think she wanted me…I mean…if you get what that means."

Jason's face furrowed in puzzlement but Shane paled drastically. He understood what Nate was implying; Nate was saying that his mother had been raped. "God, I'm sorry Nate," he whispered, hugging his friend again. "I know that had to be rough on her, but that doesn't mean she should be afraid of physical contact – not when it means damaging you."

"I guess," the thirteen-year-old agreed noncommittally. "It's fine though."

Seeing that Nate wanted the conversation topic changed, Shane decided to do just that. "So, here's something I want to say. Nate, Jason and I still _really_ want you to perform in Final Jam with us."

Nate glanced between the two of them in shock, finding himself met with Shane's resolved eyes and Jason's proud nod. He adamantly shook his head. "I'm sorry," he whispered, bowing his head. "But I…I don't want to do it. I…I think you guys would sound great without me."

"Maybe we would," Shane agreed, startling Jason. "But we would sound greater still if you helped us out."

"I don't think so," Nate argued, mouth setting firmly. "You two are enough. Three's a crowd anyway."

"Don't say that!" Shane exclaimed, shaking his head fiercely. "Nate, we _need_ you. You're incredible. We want you with us. So please, please perform with us?"

"I…" Nate slowly got to his feet. When he looked up though, his eyes were hard. "No. I'm sorry Shane, but I won't do it."

With that, he picked up his pajamas from his bed and went into the bathroom to change. Shane gave Jason a helpless look. He was about to ask what they should do now when Jason cut in, his words catching Shane completely off guard.

"I don't think I'll perform either."

"W-what?" Shane demanded, eyes widening. "Jason, what are you saying?"

His friend shrugged. "You'll blow everyone away on your own. You don't need me. You showed that on opening night. You're awesome dude. So go do something with that."

Jason too got up to get ready for bed, leaving Shane sitting on the floor in shock. What had just happened?

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

After three days of constantly getting negative answers to his begging and pleading, no matter what form it took, Shane was ready to snap. He knew Jason and Nate were talented and he knew that he knew that he knew that they deserved to be up there with him. While yes, he _could_ have the spotlight all to himself, he _wanted_ to share it with them.

Which was why, one day after hip-hop dance class, Shane had cornered Jason. Nate had disappeared back to the cabin to call his mom, borrowing Shane's cell to do so, and so Shane was as free to corner his cabin-mate as he wanted.

"Shane, what are you doing?" Jason asked, tilting his head in confusion.

"What am I doing?" Shane asked back. "I'm finding out the real reason why you won't perform with me. Jason, you love performing. Why are you suddenly saying no? What happened?"

Jason sighed, shrugging uncertainly. He went to reply, lifting his eyes when something else suddenly caught his attention. "Shane!" he called excitedly, "Look, two sparrows! Let's follow them!"

He took off before Shane knew what was completely happening and the boy huffed as he chased his friend, grabbing Jason relatively quickly and pulling him up with a firm hand.

"Seriously," he snapped, flipping his hair out of his eyes. "Jason, we can chase birds tonight. But, right now, I need you to stay focused and talk to me. Why won't you perform?"

"Shane," Jason sighed heavily, "I just…I didn't want Nate to feel bad."

"What?"

"I didn't want him to feel guilty about not competing," Jason explained. "I thought that if we both backed out, he wouldn't feel so bad. The last thing Nate wants is to spend all summer feeling guilty. By us both not performing with you, it makes him not feel so burdened."

"So…" Shane said slowly, working things out in his head. "So if Nate agrees to perform, you will too?"

"Yeah, I guess," Jason murmured, flicking his hair off his face. "But Shane, he's never going to say yes. His mind's made up."

"Oh, we'll see about that," Shane told him, a determined look in his eyes. "I'm Shane Gray!" he called as he bounded away. "I always get what I want!"

Jason watched his cabin-mate until he disappeared. The next moment, he abruptly spun around until he found the pair of sparrows he had been intent on chasing earlier. Grinning wildly, he dashed after them. This afternoon was going to be fun!

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

"Hey everyone!" Shane called, various yells and cheers coming back at him.

It was the Beach Jam, and Shane had yet to find a better place than the stage to get things out. He hadn't even asked Jason to perform with him this time, already having a plan in his head and setting it up. Adjusting his hold on the mic, Shane smiled at Jason and Nate when he spotted them in the crowd, the pair smiling back softly, Jason giving an enthusiastic wave.

"This song," Shane continued, "This song is for someone special. For someone who feels alone, for someone who feels like no one cares," He shrugged. "For someone who feels as though no one sees them, that they're invisible. Hope you like it."

Murmurs swept through the crowd, as anticipation started to build. Everyone loved Shane's music and they were eagerly awaiting his next masterpiece. Once the guitar started though, every mouth was instantly shut and campers subconsciously leant forward, desperate to hear what Shane was going to say.

"_I can feel you all around_

_In the silence I hear the sound_

_Of your footsteps on the ground_

_And my thoughts slow down_

_So now I'm…_

_I'm waiting for the moonlight_

_So I can find you in this summer dream_

_Don't think that you can hide there in the shadows_

_You know you're not invisible_

_You're all that I can see"_

Shane snuck a look at Nate, the younger boy pointedly looking away, hands forming tight fists on his knees. Jason gave Shane an encouraging smile, wrapping an arm around Nate's shoulders and bringing him to his side.

"_Something's changing here inside_

_All our hopes were coming alive_

_As we're fading into the night_

_I can see your eyes_

_And I'll keep on…_

_Waiting for the moonlight_

_So I can find you in this summer dream_

_Don't think that you can hide there in the shadows_

_You know you're not invisible_

_You're all that I can see in the darkness_

_Believe we can make this_

_All we want it to be_

_We can stay here all summer_

_Cause when we're together_

_We're trapped in this fantasy_

_We don't wanna leave"_

Nate's eyes were openly shining with tears when Shane next dared to look over; after all, he had to keep his attention on the other campers too, lest they feel left out. Jason's arm was still wrapped around Nate and the younger teen was staring at Shane with a watery smile on his face, brokenness still littering his features.

But Shane knew he was making progress; he was repairing Nate piece by piece, each lyric striking home and placing another brick back in the wall.

"_And I'll keep_

_Waiting for the moonlight_

_So I can find you in this summer dream_

_Don't think that you can hide there in the shadows_

_You know you're not invisible_

_You know you're not invisible_

_You're all that I can see…"_

Letting his voice fade away, there was a moment of silence before enthusiastic clapping erupted from the crowd. Shane accepted the praise in its stride, pasting a wide smile on his face and doing a theatrical bow. He jogged off the stage, the sound of screaming following him. But once he reached the side of the stage though, he paused, locking eyes with Nate and Jason, jerking his head in the direction of their cabin. Both boys understood immediately and they expertly crept away, making a break for their own cabin.

Arriving, the three of them paused on the cabin's wooden veranda, eyeing each other up wordlessly, none of them really knowing what to say. Surprisingly, it was Nate who finally broke the silence.

"Shane?" he asked timidly, taking a tiny step forward. "Did you…did you really mean that?"

Shane sighed, stepping forward, grasping Nate's hips and setting the boy on the veranda railing, waiting for the younger teen to balance before removing his hands. "Of course I did," he murmured, nodding seriously. "You're amazing Nate, and I don't just mean as a musician or a singer. We got off to a rocky start but I've learnt so much about you these past few weeks, and you really are a cool guy. Just like you," Shane said, flashing Jason a grin.

The fifteen-year-old returned it, all but beaming. "Yeah, you two are the best. You're great friends. And you even listen to me talk about birds. No one else does that. Seriously, I love you guys." He hugged Shane sloppily, Nate relieved he was perched where he was, meaning that he got out of being dragged into the constricting embrace.

"You're welcome," Shane managed to gasp, pushing Jason away before his lungs ran out of oxygen completely. "And I'm so glad you guys actually performed with me. That meant so much to me. To have people that really understand me, that get the type of music I like, and actually want to be a part of it. That's just…that never happens and I'm so glad it happened with you guys." He sent Nate a soft smile and the boy shyly returned it.

"I…" Nate started quietly, staring at his hands before lifting his gaze to survey them. "I didn't want to be here…but…but you guys made me want to stay. You gave me more chances than I probably deserved…and you stood up for me…even when you didn't have to. And I…I really liked being on stage with you too…"

Shane reached up and carefully looped an arm around Nate's shoulders, hugging him quickly yet tightly. "And we really liked being on stage with you too…" he hinted.

Nate sighed, giving Shane a knowing look. "You want me to perform in Final Jam, don't you?"

"Yeah," Shane answered honestly. "I really do. And so does Jason."

"And you shouldn't doubt yourself," Jason added strongly. "You're like, really good Nate. As in, ten times better than better. You rock."

Nate stared at him before giggling slightly. "What, no bird reference?" he teased.

Shane burst out laughing at Jason's flustered expression. "Dude, don't let him start!" Shane exclaimed, clapping Jason on the back and gently tugging Nate down. "I don't need a bird analogy right now."

"I have one though!" Jason piped up, bouncing on his feet excitedly.

"Jason," Nate laughed, shaking his head. "Please no. Tomorrow, okay?"

"Fine," Jason huffed, looking disgruntled. "But I-…oh my God! Look, a woodpecker!"

"J-Jason!" Nate cried as the boy suddenly took off, intent on following the bird that had just flown passed their cabin.

"Come on!" Shane chuckled, nudging Nate forward. "We better catch him before he gets lost. Let's go!"

Shane dashed off after their wayward friend, sending Nate a manic grin as he disappeared into the forest. Throwing his eyes skyward, Nate sighed before breaking into a run himself. Sure, his friends were weird but they were his friends and that made it all okay.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

_A/N: so there you have. Not as much sweetness as I would have liked but there's not as much of a lot of things as I'd want in this. Hope you enjoyed it anyway, and yeah, I did kind of shake up the lyrics to "Invisible" but only because Shane isn't serenading a girl, he's trying to win Nate back over. Leave a comment on your way out to show you care!_

_DG777_


	11. Getting These Feet Back on the Ground

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Shane, Nate and Jason

**Words:** 1, 859

**Author's Notes:** can I apologise again for the ridiculously long delay? I spent what felt like ages on this last night, only to come back this morning and discover I'd only written two paragraphs. -.-' I got the rest of it out today though so it is all good. Hope you like it! :)

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

The count down was on for Final Jam. With only one week left until show night, everyone was throwing themselves into action. Dances were being choreographed, songs were being written and tweaked, and campers everywhere were working on banners, costumes and whatever other form of decoration they could think of.

Shane was always in the middle of it all. He flew from group to group, grinning broadly at every new discovery he made. This was what he loved: seeing music being created and then lived out according to its creator's dreams. His face was a permanent smile, white teeth shining against his tanned skin.

"This is so awesome!" Shane declared as he walked back into Cabin Coda, flopping onto his bed.

Nate looked up from where he and Jason had been quietly jamming together on the floor. "Thanks for being descriptive," he drawled, though his humour was evident by the way his eyes shone.

Shane mock-scowled at him. "I mean this," Shane explained unhelpfully, waving a hand in the air dismissively. "You know, everyone coming together because we all love the same thing. I can't wait for Final Jam."

"It is gonna rock," Jason conceded, nodding his head appreciatively.

"It does sound pretty cool," Nate agreed shyly, ducking his head when his friends openly beamed at him. Even Nate was powerless against the lure that was Final Jam.

"As cool as it sounds, we still don't have a song," Jason pointed out. "We can't perform if we don't have anything _to_ perform."

"And you realised that all on your own," Nate smirked, giggling slightly at his friend's shocked expression.

"Hey!" Jason protested indignantly. "Just because I love birds doesn't mean I'm dumb. I have brothers and sisters. Thinking is kind of a must. If you don't, they control you." He shuddered at what were obviously memories.

"…I really don't think I want to know," Shane said slowly, Nate raising his eyebrows too. "Why don't we go to the lake?" he suggested, effectively changing the subject. "We can go there and talk about songs we wanna do. Besides, it's cooler down there."

No one was going to argue that point and they were soon trekking through paths they had long since memorised. Shane was a blur of movement, so energetic he was almost hyper. Nate, and even Jason were, by comparison, merely lumbering along. Although, since both teens had acoustics on their backs they were being much more careful.

"You guys are so _slow_!" Shane whined dramatically as he pranced ahead.

Nate just shook his head in response, Jason poking out his tongue. Shane mimicked the gesture before breaking into a dead run and pelting down towards the lake shore that was only a few metres in front of them. Too late did he catch sight of the tree branch that had plainly fallen down in the night. As it was, his foot snagged it and he was sent somersaulting through the sandy shore.

"Shane!" Nate and Jason called in unison, running as fast as they were able to.

"Well that was fun," Shane grumbled as he pushed himself up, shaking his head and sending sand flying in all directions.

"Are you okay?" Nate demanded worriedly, eyes wide with fright.

"I'm fine," the fifteen-year-old muttered.

"That was seriously awesome!" Jason exclaimed, grinning a tad bit madly.

Shane scowled at him. "Thanks for the concern."

"I thought you said you were okay," Nate remarked cheekily.

That left Shane floundering and all he could think to do was pout indignantly, flicking his hair out of his eyes. As he did so though, a small stream of sand fell onto his face. Running a hand through his dark locks, Shane's expression could only be described as horrified.

"My hair is ruined!" he huffed, brushing as much sand out of it as he could. "Do you know how long it's going to take me to get all of this out? You guys have to let me know if you see someone coming. I can't be seen with hair like this!"

"Dude, it's summer camp," Nate scoffed. "No one cares what your hair looks like."

"I care!" Shane protested valiantly. "I _cannot_ be seen like this."

Nate giggled, raising his eyebrows at Jason. "Not he 'won't' be seen like this; he '_can't'_ be seen like this."

Shane wanted to pout at his friend and whine and moan but really, he couldn't. The fact that these teasing remarks were coming from someone who, only even a week or so ago, was too scared to say anything even remotely joking for fear of offending people made it all worth it. He couldn't find it in his heart to complain and he had no desire whatsoever to scold Nate, no matter how much in jest he meant it, because he knew that, if he did, Nate would be retreating back into his shell instantly.

"Okay!" he suddenly declared, startling his friends who had been playfully bantering back and forth – no doubt at his expense. "Let's go and sit somewhere private so we can discuss ideas."

"Private?" Jason repeated, though he was already following Shane without thought.

Shane shot him a dazzling smile. "We don't want anyone to steal our ideas."

"I think we actually need ideas to steal before people can steal them," Nate deadpanned, dropping onto the wooden pier and setting his guitar in his lap.

"Do you always have to be right?" Shane complained, copying him and flopping down, Jason doing the same.

"So…" Nate started. "Any ideas?"

"Plenty," Shane crowed proudly. "It's just up to us to decide on one we like. But it needs to show who we really are. It needs to be real. If it doesn't tell people who we are and what we are, then there's no point."

His cabin mates nodded seriously. Seeing that they were respecting the gravity of the situation, Shane pulled a bunch of papers from his back pocket. Reverently, he laid them out.

"These are what I've come up with so far," he said. "Now, which one do you want to do?"

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

The topic had been debated back and forth for a more than lengthy period of time. Once a unanimous decision had been made, practise had immediately begun. Jason and Nate had whipped out their acoustics and set about learning the chords Shane had presented them with. Shane had eagerly sung along, loving the way their instruments and voices just _blended_ so well.

They had practised for so long that night had well and truly overtaken them. Shane had suggested they return to their cabin but Nate had been adamant they continue for "a little longer". While both Shane and Jason knew he was only insisting because he didn't feel confident about being able to perform to their standard, something Nate needn't be worried of, they allowed him to continue, to bolster his self-esteem if nothing more.

Their impromptu jam session had been pulled to an abrupt and non-negotiable halt when Nate had actually fallen asleep. Him falling asleep had not been an issue. The issue had been that, when he _had_ dropped off, he had toppled off the pier. Shane had hastily lunged forward and yanked the young teen to his chest, shouting for Jason to save the guitar, knowing Nate would want it safe.

The sharp jerking motion had woken Nate up, thoroughly bewildered when he found himself on top of Shane, wrapped in the other boy's arms. The thirteen-year-old had stared at Shane blankly until he was finally pushed back into a sitting position, where he was then told what had just occurred. Face burning with embarrassment, Nate had quietly thanked both of them, suggesting that perhaps they turn in for the night.

They had intended to go to sleep – really, they had! – when Jason had heard the distinctive hoot of an owl and practically flew from the cabin, the arm that had taken a firm hold of Nate's wrist forcing the younger teen to follow. With two out of three disappearing into the night, Shane had followed blindly.

Despite Nate's multiple begs and pleads, he had not been let go and had been mercilessly dragged through the forest. Jason did however, at Shane's warning, slow down enough that Nate wasn't constantly tripping over his own feet, the thirteen-year-old almost too tired to function, let alone run and jump various obstacles.

Finally though, Jason had found what he had desperately been chasing all summer. Rather forcefully, something that earned him an indignant glare from Nate, he had pulled them all to an instantaneous stop. Breathlessly, by wonder or exhaustion no one knew, he pointed up into the tree tops and pointed to the still occasionally hooting owl.

"There Nate, there!" he exclaimed in a whisper, excitement impossible to miss. "Do you see it? Do you?"

Nate rolled his eyes but scrutinised the branch that was being pointed out to him. "Yeah," he said after a moment, a tiny smile forming across his face. "I see it."

"Awesome, right?" Jason asked, beaming at him.

"Hardly awesome," Nate told him, half-teasing, half-serious. "But I'll give you a pretty cool at least."

"I'll take that!" Jason chirped happily, turning to stare back at the majestic bird wistfully. "Do you think my mom would let me get an owl?"

"I doubt it," Shane said slowly, clapping his friend on the shoulder and leading him back towards their cabin, Jason complaining every step of the way. "Jason, think of it this way. If you went away again, would you trust your mom to mind your owl?"

The mouth that had been open promptly snapped shut. "No," he admitted grudgingly.

"Then maybe it's for the best that you don't have one," Shane consoled before swivelling his head to check on Nate, who was tiredly plodding along behind them. "Come here Nate," he beckoned quietly, a sympathetic smile forming on his face.

Nate cocked his head in confusion but half-jogged over, not possessing the energy to do more than that. His brow furrowed when Shane crouched down and held out of his arms.

"Come on," Shane called, "Jump on."

"Hey! How come he gets a piggy-back?" Jason demanded, folding his arms sulkily.

"Because you're too heavy," Shane shot back, giving Nate an impatient look when he failed to comply instantly. Sighing exasperatedly, knowing he would never win, Nate finally did as asked, clambering onto his friend's back, tightening his hold as he was lifted off the ground. "Okay?" Shane asked.

"Yeah, fine," Nate mumbled, not entirely comfortable with being carried but also a little bit thankful at the reprieve from walking.

"Good," Shane nodded to himself before starting to walk. As Jason got ever further away, always being distracted by who knows what, Shane tilted his head to glance at his friend. Nate's eyes were already starting to slink shut. "Hey Nate," he whispered, the teen groaning tiredly before answering.

"Yeah Shane?"

"You didn't seem too excited about finally seeing your first real life owl."

"Mmm."

"Any reason behind that?"

"…Birds make me nervous."

Shane glanced at his friend incredulously before bursting out laughing. Of course they did.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

_A/N: okay, so when I watched Camp Rock 2 for the second time, I heard Nate say that birds made him nervous. I laughed at that, knowing how much Jason loves them, and so decided to throw it in. But anyway, there's the chapter. Just do you know, there's only one or two chapters left in this, so don't expect anymore terrible drama to come your way._

_IMPORTANT: please chuck me your suggestions for a song for Final Jam! I'm really struggling to find a perfect one. Keep in mind that it's Connect 3 performing, not Jonas Brothers! Thanks heaps guys. :)_

_DG777_


	12. All Time High

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Shane, Nate and Jason

**Words:** 2, 107

**Author's Notes:** hey everyone! Welcome back to the last chapter. I know, it's snuck up fast hasn't it? So, we come, as we inevitably must, to Final Jam. Please keep in mind, that this is Connect 3 (the C3 as depicted in Camp Rock 1) not Jonas Brothers, so there might be a bit more of Shane than the others. Go Shane! :)

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

"And, for the _last_ time, yes Nate, it really is too late to back out."

Nate looked like he didn't know whether to scowl at Shane or go white as a sheet. In the end, he settled on merely looking away, folding his arms across his chest protectively. Shane's expression softened a tad and he gently wrapped an arm around the younger teen's shoulders.

"Really Nate," he whispered in his friend's ear confidently. "This is going to be fine. You'll see. You, me and Jason, we're gonna own it."

"Definitely!" Jason exclaimed, bounding over.

Sudden cheering drew their attention to their immediate left, where two girls were waving at the crowd before scurrying backstage, faces flushed with excitement. As Brown announced the next act, a crew of dancers eagerly dashing forward, Shane tightening his grip, feeling Nate tremble slightly.

"Nate, it'll be fine, I _swear_."

"I know," Nate whispered softly.

"Your mom's out there, isn't she?" Jason asked, Nate nodding cautiously, unsure of where this is going. "Well, this is your chance to show her how good you are."

Shane nodded in agreement. "You can go out there and make her so proud of her son."

Something odd in Shane's tone had Nate forcibly ejected from the shell he was hiding in and tilted his head up to stare at his new best friend.

"Shane?" he called timidly. "What about you?"

He got a bewildered look in return. "What about me?"

"It's just…" Nate toed the ground nervously. "I've got Mom and…and Jason's got his family. What…what about you?"

Shane's eyes dropped for a moment but then a smile spread over his face. "I have Uncle Brown," he beamed. "He's been teaching me for as long as I can remember. This is my chance to show him that all that effort wasn't for no reason."

Nate studied him a little longer before nodding, accepting his words as truth. Glancing over Nate's shoulder and seeing the dancers entering the final stages of their routine, Shane held out his hand, Jason immediately catching on and placing his on top. Nate gave only the slightest of hesitations before doing the same.

"We rock, on three, okay?"

Receiving matching nods, Shane started his count down.

"One."

"Two."

"Three."

"_WE ROCK!"_

The trio threw their hands into the air, laughing moments later, unable to believe they had just done something so corny. Their laughter was abruptly cut short by Brown calling their names. Nate literally froze but Shane grabbed his upper arm and tugged him forward two steps, Nate finding his feet after that. They ran out onto the stage, near deafening cheering being the reception sent their way. As Jason pulled up at one side mic, Nate sidling up to the other, Shane took his from Brown and moved to his beloved position of centre stage.

"It's great to be back!" he called enthusiastically, grinning wildly at the shouts sent back his way. "Nate, Jason and I have been working on this number for a little while now. We really think it's gonna blow you away, so buckle up! You're in for one hell of a ride," he ended dramatically, screams meeting his ears in response.

He nodded once to Jason before starting, the guitarist following a beat behind.

"_Tonight, we lie awake  
Remember how the coffee made us shake on those long drives?  
One more long night"_

Nate's guitar then came bursting in, adding an extra level of depth and volume to the song.

"_Another seven days  
Heartbeat racing  
The interstate, my home tonight  
For one more long night  
I'm sure as hell the happiest I've ever been"_

Seeing both Nate and Jason step up to their microphones, Jason whirling in a circle first, squeals came from many girls, ecstatic at getting to see the three of them harmonise.

"_We can't hide, we let go  
We've got more than we know  
My friends are a different breed  
My friends are"_

Giving Nate a friendly shoulder bump, Shane skidded back to the centre spotlight, flipping his hair out of his eyes.

"_There's a ghost in this room  
I think I'll name it after all of you"_

Various forms of "yeah!" and "that's right!" came back at him at that.

"_And watch it hang over my bed like decorations celebrated  
Memories, they came and went in light of all the time we spent  
Listening to everything our parents told us not to take in"_

"_Now make a change  
I'm counting down  
The mile marks to every town  
And falling more in love  
With the distance put between us"_

Jumping back two steps, Shane had to quickly dodge as Jason flew passed, the guitarist then pulling up and coming to lean against him, flashing him a pearly smile. Shane returned it eagerly, launching into the chorus with only Nate to back him up, Jason's eyes widening slightly as he realised he was supposed to be singing as well.

"_We can't hide, we let go  
We've got more than we know  
My friends are a different breed  
My friends are everything"_

Jason made it back to his mic in time to yell out 'everything', making several people laugh, something that only made his grin widen. Shane tried to hide a chuckle, sneaking a glance at Nate and finding his friend to be tentatively smiling back, still nervous but enjoying this so much he couldn't seem to care.

_"Make this last, take it slow  
We've got it all figured out for now  
So let us live our lives without a doubt"_

"_Tonight we lie awake"_

A higher pitch of squeals erupted when Nate perfectly slid into his solo part, his immaculate voice echoing through the hall.

_"Remember how the coffee made us shake on those long drives?  
One more long night  
Another seven days  
Heartbeat racing  
The interstate, my home tonight  
For one more long night"_

"_From coast to coast, I'll make the most"_

As Shane and Jason's voices joined in for the last time, there was no stopping the euphoric feeling that swamped them, near _possessed_ them. In that moment, they were unstoppable and they _were_ the music. They were the heart and soul of the beat, owning it and claiming it – and rightfully so.

"_Of every second I've been giving with this crowd  
Without a doubt, you're all I dream about  
At night we lie awake  
With stories taking us back to the nights we felt alive  
The nights we felt alive"  
_

Nate and Jason stopped strumming, their attention going straight to Shane who was standing right in the middle of the stage. With no music to back him up, nothing but his own voice and melody to fill the space, Shane drew their performance, their masterpiece, to a close.

"_The nights…we felt alive."_

There was no need for the audience to pause and review the performance; they were already on their feet, yelling and screaming themselves hoarse. Looping his arms around his band mates' shoulders, Shane sent them breathless grins, adrenalin leaving him without enough air to breathe. Jason and Nate had the exact same expressions on their faces, sweat sliding down their faces, making their skin shine. Giving one last wave, they vanished from the stage.

"We were amazing!" Shane shouted once they were clear.

"I know!" Jason agreed, jumping up and down.

Nate's eyes shone, one hand clutching his guitar tightly, almost as though he couldn't believe this was actually real and the guitar was the one thing grounding him to the present.

"I can't believe we just did that!" Shane continued, voice losing none of its exuberance. "We just…we just totally rocked! Everything was perfect. Nate, you were incredible dude!"

"Yeah, no kidding," Jason said, hugging him tightly. "You're _great_."

Nate blushed profusely, backing away from the ensnaring arms. "You guys were too. Without either of you, we couldn't have done this."

Shane nodded instantly. "That's why we make such a great team. We should-"

"_Hey!"_ Another camper hissing at them caught their attention. "Be quiet," the same camper went on. "They're about to announce the winners."

They exchanged bright looks, shuffling as close to the side of the stage as they could without actually stepping onto it.

"Our winners," the director of the prospective label company was saying. "Are Shane Gray, Jas-"

The rest, they didn't hear. The moment Shane's name had been said, they knew they had won. After a moment of pure shock, Shane had tore out onto stage, dragging Nate with him, Jason happily bouncing along after him. The hall burst into an applause of collective agreement, knowing that there deserved to be no other winners. Glancing out across the crowd, seeing everyone smiling back at him and screaming for him, Shane knew that this was where they belonged. This – the stage – was home.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

"Mom, Dad, I won, did you see?" Jason screamed, running over to his parents and barreling into them.

"We saw, we saw," his mother chuckled, hugging her son tightly. "And we're so proud of you baby. You were so good up there."

The conversation between the eight members of the Matthews family became background noise as Shane watched Nate approach his mother. Courtney was smiling at her son and Nate was smiling back, but Shane could almost see a renewed tension in his friend, an indecision of sorts.

"Hey Mom," Nate murmured, meeting his mother's gaze, offering her a shy smile.

"Hello to you too mister," Courtney laughed, kissing his hair gently. "You were-"

Courtney stopped herself when she saw her son's face contort into a frown. Wondering what the look was for, she had no time to ask because aforementioned boy had all but thrown himself into her arms, latching on tightly. From where Shane was watching, he felt a sad smile tug at his lips.

"Nate…" Courtney said slowly, only to be cut off again by her son shaking his head.

"This is okay," Nate whispered brokenly, only tightening his hold. "Shane said this is okay. _This_ is what family does. And you're my family Mom. I love you."

In that moment, Shane didn't think it would be possible for him to be more proud of anyone than he was of Nate. 

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

With Final Jam well and truly over, the after jam supper also being devoured entirely, everyone was back in their cabins. It was the last night of camp and everyone spent hours talking with their new friends, they would maybe see next year, or perhaps never see again. Perhaps they would keep in touch, perhaps they wouldn't. Whatever the situation, it was emotional for everyone.

No matter how emotional and how much they wanted it to never end, everyone eventually turned into their beds, knowing that they needed sleep because the return trips home would be extremely boring and tiring. One by one, lights in cabins were switched off, good nights were said, and blankets were tugged securely up. Silence filled cabin after cabin, until only one was left.

To say that it was Cabin Coda would be almost unnecessary. Already its occupants had gotten in trouble. After the supper they had raced down to the lake and started a water fight. Brown had quickly put an end to that, firmly telling them that even if it was the last night of camp, camp rules still applied; which here means: "no swimming after lights out!" The three teens had grudgingly complied and trudged back to their cabin where they had changed out of their sopping clothes and into comfortable sweats.

From there, a different sort of party had ensued. Shane, with his impeccable knowledge of the camp grounds, had managed to sneak into the kitchen because he knew that one of the windows was broken in such a way that meant it couldn't be locked. After raiding the pantry, he had returned with various snacks and they had eaten them with wild abandon. Once they'd eaten all they could and more, the guitars had come out and the singing had started.

At around 4:55 A.M. a very disgruntled Brown had stumbled into their cabin.

"Look," he said, making them all cease. "I know you won Final Jam, and I know you're all very excited by that fact but please, _please_, just…Just sock it and get to bed already!"

Sensing the wrath that would be hurled their way if they disobeyed, Shane, Jason and Nate all but abandoned their guitars and hurled themselves into their beds. Satisfied on a job well done, Brown closed the cabin door and dusted his hands off on his pants. Now maybe, finally, he would be able to get some sleep.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

_A/N: so there you have it! The near end. Yes, there will be an epilogue and I hope to have that up soon. I wanna give a special shout-out to SilvereyedAngel who gave me the song idea. Seriously, best song suggestion ever! Thanks so much! Please leave a review on your way out to show you care and also to let me know what you thought! You guys are the best and your reviews make my day. :)_

_DG777_


	13. Epilogue: The Process of Metamorphosis

**Essential Circuitry**

**Disclaimer:** I do not own any part of Camp Rock or the Jonas Brothers. Camp Rock belongs to Disney and the Jonas Brothers belong to themselves.

**Characters:** Shane, Nate and Jason

**Words:** 1, 500

**Author's Notes:** well, you've all made it. This is the final chapter/epilogue. Sorry it's taken me so long to write it, I wish I was more diligent with this. I do however, hope you liked the story as a whole and will also like this epilogue. :)

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

"But _Mom_," Jason whined, staring at his mother pleadingly. "Can't we stay? Just a little longer? _Please_?"

"Jason, sweetie," she sighed, "We really need to go. Your brothers and sisters are getting restless. And tell me," she asked knowingly. "Would you rather we drive home with them in a good mood or a bad mood?"

Jason huffed but nodded, turning away and wandering back over to where Shane and Nate were camped out on a grassy hill. Since Shane's uncle ran the camp, he wouldn't be leaving till later and Courtney had booked a late flight, so Nate was in no rush to leave either. Shane was flat on his back, staring up at the sky while Nate sat next to him, a tiny smile on his face as he spoke. Whatever he was saying was put on hold though when he saw Jason approaching.

"Hey Jason!" Shane called jovially. "How'd it go man?"

He shook his head sadly, dropping down behind Nate, causing his friend to twist around to see him. "Not good. Mom says we absolutely have to go."

Nate's face softened sympathetically. "I'm sorry dude. I wish you could stay here with us."

"Yeah, just a few more hours would be awesome," Shane sighed, moving into a sitting position. "But I guess what really matters is that even though you're going, we're going to see you again really soon! After all, we all need to be present so we can record our album!"

Jason's face split into a blinding grin and even Nate's lit up, eyes sparkling with unprecedented excitement.

"You're right," Jason said with a definitive nod. "We'll be seeing each other again really soon. But seriously guys, you mad-"

"Jason!" his father's voice came from up the hill. "Jason, we need to go buddy!"

"Okay!" Jason yelled back before leaping forward, wrapping his arms around Shane and Nate tightly. "Just know that you guys made this summer the best summer ever. I love you guys."

The next moment his arms were disentangled from them and he was flying up the hill, shooting his dad an apologetic smile before clambering up into their minivan. Shane and Nate could only watch as the van drove off, Jason sticking his head and an arm out of one window and waving to them until he and his family completely disappeared from sight.

Shane couldn't help but sigh despondently when he saw one of his two new best friends vanish – even if only briefly. Nate bumped his shoulder gently, looking up at him worriedly.

"Don't fret," Shane groaned, nudging Nate playfully. "I'm fine."

"If you say so," Nate replied, tone holding a shred of disbelief.

Shane mock-glared at him before slinging an arm over his shoulder and tugging his friend closer. "I'm gonna miss him though," he revealed.

"I won't miss his bird talk," the younger teen quipped before softening. "But yeah, I'll miss him too."

Shane sent him a reassuring smile. "We'll see him again soon. Now," he said theatrically, stepping away so he could wave his arms without hitting anyone. "Since we have free reign of the camp grounds, I hereby challenge you to a game of tag!"

There was a pregnant pause.

"No way."

Shane's jaw dropped. "What?"

Nate rolled his eyes. "Shane, I'm thirteen, not six. And _you're_ fifteen," he added pointedly, raising an eyebrow.

"Fine," Shane sniffed, turning on his heel before shooting his friend a mischievous look. "But if you don't chase me, I'll turn this into hide-and-seek and you'll spend the whole afternoon standing by yourself."

It was Nate's turn to gape. Seeing he'd gotten the reaction he wanted, Shane laughed proudly before bounding forward, rapping Nate on the head and then dashing off. Nate stared at him in shock for an extra moment before his competitive streak kicked in. The next minute he too was flying across the grass in desperate pursuit of his friend.

Inside, he was grinning broadly. This was what friendship should be like. And this, he imagined, was what having an older brother was like. If that were the case, he'd adopt Shane any day.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

_THREE YEARS LATER_

It was a normal day for Nate; or at least, as normal as days were of late. It started the usual way; which, for Connect 3, consisted of an early wake up call at the ripe time of five in the morning. Nate groaned as he heard his alarm clock blaring in his ears. Stretching out a hand from under the blankets, he tapped the device into silence. Letting his arm flop, Nate took a deep breath before rolling over and pushing his blankets off.

His feet hit the floor with a barely audible thud and he ran a hand through sleep-tousled hair. It was time to wake the others. Yes, someone had come up with the brilliant idea of having Nate wake up Jason and Shane every morning. Jason he could live with, it was Shane that was the problem. With an irritated shake of his head, Nate set off into the next room.

Jason was sprawled across his bed, legs and arms flung in all different directions. The pillow was, of course, on the floor half-way across the room. How it always got there was a mystery to Nate but he wasn't too keen on finding out. Reaching out, he gently shook Jason, pulling the covers back for good measure.

"Huh…?" Jason drawled, eyes opening blearily. "Wha…?"

"Up and at 'em Jason," Nate called. "Time to get up."

"What time is it?"

Nate resisted the urge to roll his eyes. "Five o'clock dude. The same time I woke you up yesterday, and the day before, _and_ the day before that. Come on, up and get dressed. Breakfast's in half an hour."

"Mm…okay, I'll be there," Jason answered, stumbling on the covers as he stood up.

The youngest Connect 3 member gave a satisfied nod before heading on to the next room. Shane's room. He sincerely hoped today wasn't going to be anything like yesterday but he knew Shane and Shane was consistent. Rubbing his eyes tiredly, Nate wandered over to Shane's bedside. Their lead diva was buried under his blankets and only the top of his head was visible.

"Shane!" Nate whispered, trying to rouse Shane gently.

Aforementioned singer merely mumbled in response.

"God help me," Nate muttered before reaching out and shaking Shane carefully. "Shane."

No response.

"Sha-ane."

Again, no response.

He shook a little harder.

"Shane!"

"Jesus Nate!" Shane exclaimed, suddenly awake and lashing out with an arm wildly. "What are you doing? Get outta my room. It's too early man."

"Dude, it's already past five o'clock. We _have_ to get up. Breakfast's at five thirty. You can't be late. _Again_." He added, stressing the 'again'. Shane had been late every day this week, and it was definitely not due to a lack of trying on Nate's behalf.

"Shut up Nate." The pop star pulled his blankets tight around him. "Now, get lost."

"Shane, you have to get up!" Nate implored. "Jason is already up. I'm up. That only leaves you. Get up, have a shower, and do whatever it is you need to do. Put product in your hair. You got to sleep-in yesterday."

"Six-thirty is hardly a sleep in," Shane snapped back, glaring at Nate.

"It is when filming starts at seven," came the retort. "Shane, please!"

"Oh just shut up Nate!" Shane yelled angrily. "You go, I'll be there."

Nate shot him a look that was clearly disbelieving. Shane didn't take that too well. Before Nate had time to move, Shane was out of bed and gripping his arm tightly. Roughly, Shane dragged his band-mate to his door and practically threw him through it, slamming the door in his face. Nate regained his footing just before he crashed into the carpet. Growling, he kicked the now closed door as hard as he could.

Hearing Shane's resultant mad yell, Nate dashed off back to his room. Grabbing the outfit that had been left hanging on his door by their stylist the night before, Nate made for the bathroom and leapt inside, hastily locking the door behind him. Throwing the clothes haphazardly on the floor, he raced to the shower and turned the water on full.

Creeping back to the door and placing an ear against it, Nate could hear Shane right on the opposite side of the door, huffing. As he listened, Shane stalked away, convinced that Nate was already in the shower. Nate winced when he heard some crashing noises. He just hoped it wasn't his guitar that had suffered the brunt of Shane's wrath.

When Nate was absolutely certain that Shane had returned to his own room, he undressed, straightened the clothes he had thrown down earlier and then jumped into the shower. Yep, situation normal so far. He ran his hands down his face in exasperation. Shane was becoming too much for him to handle.

That too was becoming normal.

()~~~~~()~~~~~()~~~~~()

_A/N: so there you have it! The ending to Essential Circuitry and then a sneak-peak at the sequel, "The Process of Metamorphosis", which is set during Camp Rock. Be sure to check that one out (yes, it's already written and finished!). Just jump to my profile and you'll find it! It'd mean a lot to me if you read it._

_Once again, please leave a review on the way out to tell me what you thought, what you liked, and what you didn't like. Hope you enjoyed the ride of EC! :)_

_DG777_


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